On a warm Saturday morning in California’s Central Valley, the sound of aluminum bats cracking echoes across a dusty baseball complex. Parents line the fences, coaches rally their players, and between games, kids spill out into the concession areas for a hot dog. But instead of talking about their batting averages, many of them are huddled together, lanyards in hand, swapping brightly colored enamel pins.
Welcome to the world of youth sports trading pins. A somewhat new phenomenon that has grown from a sideline novelty into a serious business. In youth baseball and softball especially, pins have become a cultural centerpiece. They’re not just keepsakes, they’re part of the ritual of tournament play, the currency of bragging rights, and in many ways, a key driver of the youth sports economy.
More Than Just Trinkets
Trading pins started as a small-time tradition in baseball and fastpitch softball tournaments in the 1980s. But in recent years, they’ve exploded in popularity. Today, walk into almost any large youth tournament, from Cooperstown Dreams Park in New York to the massive PGF National Championships in Huntington Beach, California, and you’ll find kids wearing lanyards loaded with shiny pins.
“Pins are the heartbeat of the tournament experience,” says Jason Holt, a youth baseball coach who has taken teams to national competitions for more than a decade. “The kids look forward to trading pins as much as they do the games themselves. It’s how they make friends, how they remember the event, and honestly, how they show off a little.”
In that sense, trading pins are more than collectibles, they’re icebreakers, status symbols, and little pieces of identity.
Why Parents and Teams Invest
At first glance, a pin seems small, almost trivial. But talk to parents and coaches, and you’ll quickly see why entire teams budget hundreds, even thousands of dollars for custom trading pins each season.
“Pins are memories,” says Michelle Alvarez, a softball mom from Riverside whose daughter plays on a 12U travel team. “When my daughter looks at her pin board, she can tell you the story behind every single one — the teams she met, the games they played, even the ones they lost. It’s all in those little pieces of metal.”
For teams, pins serve a dual purpose. They’re both a way to commemorate a season and a tool to connect with other teams. At major tournaments, teams are expected to bring pins to trade. Showing up without them is almost unthinkable, like going to a wedding without a gift.
That expectation has fueled a bustling industry of custom pin makers, most of them catering directly to youth baseball, softball, hockey, and other popular sports.
The Business Behind the Boom
The economics of pins are surprisingly robust. A team can order a few hundred custom enamel pins for just a couple of dollars per unit, depending on design complexity and order size. Yet the perceived value is far higher in the eyes of kids and parents. These pins are priceless collectibles tied to once-in-a-lifetime tournaments.
On the business side, manufacturers and design studios have carved out thriving niches. Some specialize exclusively in youth sports pins, offering design consultations, fast turnarounds, and bulk discounts for teams. Many companies advertise directly to coaches and league organizers, pitching custom pins as “must-have” gear for tournaments.
The youth sports boom itself has fueled this demand. According to industry research, the U.S. youth sports market was valued at over $19 billion in 2022, rivaling even the NFL in size. Baseball and softball remain two of the biggest participation sports, with millions of kids playing each year, and each team representing a potential order for these tiny little trinkets.
Culture Meets Commerce
Unlike jerseys or bats, pins are social currency. Kids wear them on hats, attach them to bags, or pin them onto lanyards for easy trading. The more elaborate the design, like glitter enamel, moving parts, or glow-in-the-dark paint, the more coveted the pin becomes.
That pushes teams to get creative, and businesses are ready to deliver. All-Star Trading Pins reports that requests for “bling” designs featuring rhinestones, spinners, or even LED lights, have nearly doubled in the last five years.
This demand for one-of-a-kind designs keeps the market fresh, and for businesses, it means a steady flow of repeat customers year after year. Companies fill their staff with top tier artists that can create designs that cater to today’s youth athlete. And the competition is fierce.
Where Trading Happens
At big tournaments, trading pin culture takes center stage. Organizers often dedicate entire spaces for swapping. Think picnic tables, open tents, or even official “pin trading zones” that are prominent at Cooperstown. Kids sprint between games not to check scores, but to see what other teams brought.
At Cooperstown Dreams Park, one of the meccas of youth baseball, the trading pin tradition is almost as famous as the games themselves. Players arrive with hundreds of pins and leave with bags full of colorful reminders from teams all over the country. For many families, the pin collection becomes a centerpiece of the entire trip.
Kids don’t just bring home keepsakes, but something they can show off to friends. Social media feeds fill up with players posting their pin hauls and telling stories about how they acquired them. Where they found the pin, why they liked it, and what they had to trade for them are all part of the experience.
Beyond the Field
While baseball and softball dominate the trading pin scene, other sports are catching on. Youth hockey, soccer, and even cheerleading tournaments now feature trading areas. Demand in women’s sports has grown dramatically as participation increases as well. But baseball and softball remain the heart of the market, in part because of their long history of collectible culture, from trading cards to signed balls.
For businesses, that means an expanding customer base. Companies that once served only Little League teams now find themselves making pins for entire tournament circuits, city leagues, and even sponsors who want to associate their brand with the nostalgia of pin trading.
The Challenges
Like any growing business trend, the trading pin boom comes with challenges. Knockoff pins and low-quality imports sometimes flood the market, frustrating teams who want unique designs. Some companies have started pushing AI designs which don’t have the same creativity you find from real-life artists. Licensing is also a concern as official logos from leagues or tournaments often require permission to use. And of course, there’s the cost.
For some families, an extra hundred dollars to an already expensive trip can mean a lot. These tournaments typically require travel, lodging, and food for the young athletes and their family. Not to mention tournament fees and equipment.
Why They’ll Keep Growing
The secret to the success of trading pins isn’t just the enamel or the glitter, it’s the emotion. In a youth sports landscape increasingly dominated by competition and travel, pins provide a connection. Kids who would otherwise never speak to each other suddenly find common ground in a trade.
That makes pins more than just a product. They’re an experience, one that captures the joy of playing, meeting new friends, and being part of something bigger.
For businesses, that experience translates into sustainable demand. As long as kids keep playing sports, and as long as parents want them to bring home something tangible from their seasons, trading pins will remain a small but mighty force in the youth sports economy.
Or, as Alvarez puts it: “Trophies sit on shelves. Pins, you carry with you.”