The costs and pressure surrounding youth sports are going to another level, with Blake Griffin raising concerns after an expensive weekend at his son's basketball tournament. The former NBA star was surprised by how much he had to spend just to watch his child compete.

“I was at my son's basketball tournament this past weekend, and I paid $80 for a wristband to watch my own kid play and $60 to park for the weekend,” Griffin said on The Stepback Show. “That's on top of everything else. You can see NBA games for that much, sometimes less.”

Blake Griffin says youth basketball has changed for the worse after paying $140 just to watch his own son play, more than some NBA games

“I was at my son’s basketball tournament this past weekend, and I paid $80 for a wristband to watch my own kid play, and $60 to park for the… pic.twitter.com/3QK87uPCfS

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Additionally, Griffin noticed how parents behaved toward referees and questioned how much youth basketball has changed since he was growing up.

“I realized as I was watching my son play, or actually, as I was watching parents berate a poor referee, that something has changed from when I was a kid, and I don’t think it’s for the better.”

He believes the current environment is moving in the wrong direction.

Griffin discussed how youth sports have become increasingly commercialized, with families encouraged to commit their children to one sport throughout the year. The practice, known as early sports specialization, was also discussed by LeBron James and Steve Nash on an episode of Mind the Game.

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Nash recalled a time when children could participate in different sports across seasons without the financial pressure of year-round programs. James agreed with his concerns, calling early specialization “the worst thing you can do.”

Griffin then used one of James' most recognizable moments to make his point.

“Do you know how bad something has to be for LeBron James to call it the worst thing you can do?” Griffin joked, referencing the famous 2018 NBA Finals moment when James reacted to J.R. Smith failing to shoot after an offensive rebound.