I was just commenting to my son that we, even the poorest of us, live better than the average person of 300 years ago. Even [especially] poor kids get expensive equipment made in sweatshop conditions. Sports are basically a matter of what is available in your neighborhood.

Right now, the Harlem Little League is on its way to the regional version of the Little League World Series. That's cause some adults took an interest in doing things with the neighborhood kids.

My kid was at our canoe club the other evening and someone came down with an Olympic K1 (racing kayak). He allowed him to try it and, even though he flipped it every time, he had fun and in now hooked on doing better. I can arrange instruction through the club and, if he gets good enough, we can arrange a coach through the Olympic committee. The same goes for fencing [a Title 9 sport] and other sports. Most of these sports are not mass entertainment sports, just a way to get involved and away from the electronic baby sitter.

The same can be said of teaching a kid a musical instrument.

If you want a kid to learn, there are two things you can do: Teach him or her or just leave a bunch of kids alone with some basic implements and they will invent or adapt a game for themselves. Kids love to be involved and the interests carry over as they grow older.