AAU basketball parents accustomed to high fees to watch their children play tournaments received an unexpected jolt in Ohio over the weekend. The landscape appears to be shifting.

Kevin Brandt, a basketball dad from Leipsic, OH, regularly pays admission fees surpassing those for NBA games. He is aware of the big business that is AAU basketball and the commitment he and his wife undertook for their daughter, who plays for a prominent travel team in the Midwest. However, the Spooky Nook complex in Hamilton left him puzzled.

Just got home from watching my daughter play in AAU Tournament, Select Showcase. $260 for my wife and I to watch her play this weekend. $260 to get in. Someone HAS to feel a little guilty about this, don’t they?!

Brandt shared his bewilderment online after experiencing this at Spooky Nook. Usually, tournaments offer a weekend pass costing about $70 to $90, but that wasn’t the case in Hamilton.

The family was informed about needing to pay admission for two separate tournaments occurring at the same venue. The first was the Select Events Super Showcase, followed by the Midwest Summer Classic. These events shared the same location and organizer.

Brandt explained, They told us it was (two) ‘separate’ events. Paid $120 for each event. Then $5 a day for parking. Faced with hotel prices exceeding $300 per night, the family opted for a 2.5-hour commute instead. When their son and his girlfriend attended for a single day, they incurred an extra $60.

Efforts to contact senior management at Spooky Nook for clarification on who sets admission and parking fees went unanswered. This has become a common concern among AAU parents nationwide.

Mookie Edmond, an AAU travel mom, identifies with Brandt’s plight. She chronicled her family’s trip to a tournament in Rock Hill, South Carolina, contrasting it with the Ohio event. In South Carolina, a weekend pass was offered at $90.

At the end of the day, we are going to invest in our child, Edmond expressed on a Facebook video, acknowledging the high costs of participating in top-level AAU.

Despite spending nearly $1,500 on various expenses, Edmond remains reflective. I’m over here scratching my head like do I really wanna run it back this weekend, she shared with her Facebook friends.

Joe Kinsey is the Senior Director of Content at OutKick.