There’s a fantastic new dystopian trend taking over children's sports. No, it’s not gambling — well, it’s gambling, too — but this is a *different* flavor of dystopia.

In short, corporate-owned facilities and leagues have begun “prohibiting parents from recording their own kids’ sports games,” per The Lever.

Here’s how it works. Parents are told that they cannot film their children's sporting events. Instead, they are that if they want video footage of anything from a hockey match to a cheerleading competition, they must subscribe to the company’s exclusive recording and streaming services — which can be many times more expensive than the streaming costs for professional sporting events. One such streaming platform, run by a company called Black Bear, costs between $25 and $50 per month.

As if these wallet inspectors hadn’t already done enough, some are even charging players for even participating in this streaming service. Black Bear, for example, has introduced a $50 per-player “registration and insurance” fee for certain leagues.

So what if a local community wants to just set up their own streaming service instead? Or heck, what if they want to just throw their game on YouTube? Too bad — exclusive contracts prevent teams or individuals exploring alternative video services.

Fine — what if you just say “screw it” and film a game anyway? Well, you could get blacklisted from the venue, effectively forcing you to pay for the streaming service to watch your child play their sport.

I don’t think it’s too far to say that this is evil, and I think everyone involved should get a kick to the crotch. Heck, I’d even pay $25 to $50 per month for the privilege!