I think it is moreso the cost of all of the equipment that goes into playing organized baseball, or even an informal pickup game in the neighborhood. I grew up in the country and my mom and my aunts played in in the adult softball leagues so anytime we wanted to get a co-ed baseball/softball game going out in the rural area, we had the space and could piecemeal together enough equipment to have a game. My parents yard and the pastures around the house are pretty large enough, which gave us room to play without worrying about hitting someones house. Plus between my mom and my aunt we could piece together enough gloves, bats, and balls. That is not always the case for a lot of kids. So it was rare for the kids who lived "in town" to have a pick-up softball/baseball game or even kickball game, like we were accustomed to doing. But they would could easily get a pickup game going with only one football or basketball needed. I know kids have more access to things now since black some middle to upper class parents are pushing their kids to play premier baseball/softball leagues, but just thinking back to how it was 15 to 20 years ago when I was in middle/junior high school. Just a thought......