I think the expense has become unreachable for many, so kids are forced to leave the game behind.
I wrote to a team in Seattle to see if I could get my 16 yo son on, even just for practices, for the five weeks we'd be there this summer -- and they said 'yes'.....for $3300 (yes, thirty-three-hundred dollars). $3300 for five weeks. If that's the going rate, even for a year, to become one of the better ballplayers in your area (or at least go as far as you can with the skills you have), many families simply cannot afford to stay with the game.