Well, I don’t disagree there is a lot of money spent. You’re correct that a lot of kids could go to school on that. My guess is that most of that money would be spent on vacation and other non necessities. It has never changed my lifestyle one bit other than giving me less opportunity to enjoy some of my own hobbies.
OT and a sucky part about kids travel sports (baseball)
- Thread starter ritaith
- Start date
UUUGGGHHHH!!!! My son is about to start his first season of hockey. At age 8, he’s late to the sport, but made up a lot of ground in the last year in an excellent learn to play program. His first tryout was in March, and to his credit (because it’s the first sport he’s really enjoyed playing), he made a team. I dread the forthcoming hit to my bank account should he stick with it.
We found the “least political” organization in our corner of New England, so the travel is relatively minimal. We also found out that one of his buddies from learn to play is on his team, so he already has a kindred connection to the organization.
Like many here have posted, I have never forced him to play anything he hasn’t expressed an interest in. Our only rules are that once he starts something (a season), he can’t quit, he has to try his best, and he has to be a good teammate (esp when I’ve coached him). If he doesn’t want to play the next season, so be it.
Now, after all of that - I’m of the mind that grownups have WAY over complicated youth sports. They allow kids to specialize in one sport way too young, and then are baffled by a kid who gets burnt out and quits before s/he gets to high school. Gee, do you think it might have something to do with the fact that the “adults” stripped all the fun out of the “game” they once loved?
One of our worst umps was such a nice guy I could never get mad at him for blowing a call. He would apologize and I would feel like a heel for getting mad about the call. It was very confusing.I was assuming most of the Coaches were included in the “Parent” demographic
Not sure whether or not most of the Umps would as well (though I personally only made the acquaintance of a couple prima-donna umps..... most seemed to be pretty benign)
In either case, the good ones are a valuable commodity and a blessing...... the bad ones grow like weeds.
If you’re a parent, please, please, please don’t have your child specialize in one sport. Even if it’s playing rec ball in another sport, have them do it. And push them toward life sports (golf, tennis, swimming) that they can continue to play their whole adult lives.
I understand that completely. People are going to spend money. If it is being done for the "love of the game", I would never begrudge it. The point is that in many to most cases it is to win a scholarship. I understand that is the parent/kids choice, but it is a scam in most cases.
This is the best advice, and (yeah, I'm a homer) why Little League still works in today's world. It has a beginning and an end - which we all get to see this weekend - then it's off to football, then basketball for most of these kids.
Having coached youth sports for close to 20 years (rec, travel and high school), too many parents do not understand the following:
1. Parents need to be honest about their child's interest level
2. Parents need to be honest about their child's ability level
I once had a parent tell me that his daughter was getting a soccer scholarship, excellent player for her age. She was in U9 at the time. She never made the high school varsity. Kids interest level changes over time, parents do not accept that. Usually around 7th grade is when you start to see the interest level decline.
1. Parents need to be honest about their child's interest level
2. Parents need to be honest about their child's ability level
I once had a parent tell me that his daughter was getting a soccer scholarship, excellent player for her age. She was in U9 at the time. She never made the high school varsity. Kids interest level changes over time, parents do not accept that. Usually around 7th grade is when you start to see the interest level decline.
And if your child is really bad compared to his/her age group, they’re likely going to always be bad. And please quit using the Michael Jordan got cut from his team story to justify pushing your 8 year old who can’t walk and chew gum at the same time.
I umpired a couple of games in a New Year's Eve baseball showcase last year (caused me to have to watch the Fiesta Bowl on delay on DVR). It was 10u which I rarely do because I do HS and the younger version of baseball can be pretty dull and frustrating when you're used to a better flow of the game. What I saw were teams from all across the country coming to Central Florida for a winter's vacation and to play 3-4 games of baseball. Who knows how much that entry fee was for each team/kid. Then you throw in the expense of the trip itself plus accommodations and whatever side trips they made (Disney, most likely). We all know that part of the travel game is the expense to go to all of these events. The part that I haven't seen mentioned in this thread is the equipment costs. For those of you who are children of the mid-90s and earlier, remember when you're local association team had a supply of bats and helmets and all you had to do was show up at the field with your glove and uniform and you were good to go? Not anymore. Every kid walks from the parking lot with his baseball bag that has his glove, helmet, and at least one state-of-the-art bat. I can remember the Easton bat I used when I played Legion ball (early 90s) was around $70. 20+ years have passed and the bats have certainly changed (I joke to coaches when I hand them a bat after an inning that even I could have hit .200 with these weapons) not just in quality but also in price. Throw in the fact that these kids grow and the helmets need to be replaced due to that growth plus the bat has to change as you move up the ladder and it all adds up. I don't have any kids but if I did and he wanted to play baseball, then I'd try to keep him out of travel ball as long as I could. The expense has to be pretty high and I'd want to make sure he really wanted to be in it for the long haul before forking over that money. Plus, some of the parents and coaches that I've seen at a few of these events make fire-breathing dragons look tame in comparison.
For anyone with a kid pitching at a young age in travel or other concentrated baseball participation, Google what Tommy John"s son has to say about it (He's a trainer). HS kids are getting the elbow surgery at an increasing rate. It's good that LL has addressed this issue. Not too different than the debate over pre-teens banging heads on the football field.
Ok, against all better judgement, i will jump into the fray. I am a '94 psu grad, from TX, currently live in FL. My 15 yr old son showed signs of being a good baseball player at age 9. We had to get him out of little league because the games were terrible and bored him (imagine if your kid was great at band and had to play with my tone deaf kids!). He's played on high end travel teams since 10 yrs old. This has culminated with his attendinding the img academy in FL to see how good he can become. Yes I pay 6 figs for him to attend img. I have been blessed in my career (PSU played a large part) and I choose to spend my $ in this capacity. As for travel ball, I can say that it is entirely up to parents and their own self awareness. There are parents that will spend tons on their kids who are not very good chasing dreams that will never come true. As in all things, if you're a sucker, someone's waiting to take your money. Look at the stats, if you put you kid in high end tournaments and he beats. 200, then it's time to re-evaluate. Also, (sorry to say) but if you are only playing I. PA and other northern states, then you have no barometer. Baseball in the north doesnt compare to TX, FL, S.Ca, and the deep south. Sorry, it's just a fact (see any PA college bball results as evidence).
Clearly the talent level is higher in those areas but there are many other factors including weather and program support that are just as important when looking at program success.
If your child shows an interest in something, I would encourage them to keep doing it no matter their ability level. That being said, I would be honest about their ability and make sure that they do not get placed in situations where they cannot compete. For the kid who can't walk and chew gum at the same time, rec sports for you. Even in that situation, there are kids are still develop, or could develop in other sports. If the kid does not develop they can still be part of the sport in some capacity if they desire.
The modern day sports model for kids is awful. One sport, all year? Kids are told where they need to be and when to be there. Gone are the days when a group of friends would agree to meet at the park on Saturday, or Sunday, saying we are playing baseball, football, or basketball. For the most part, travel teams are a form of parental peer pressure to drain money and teach the kid into hating the sport.
This past spring we traveled 2+ hours away to play a single tournament soccer game against the other select team in our city. Ridiculous.
Unless, of course, your kid only likes one sport. No need to push your kid into a sport because you want them to do it.
AAU Congress approves a 30-year alliance with The Walt Disney World Company, relocating its National Headquarters to Orlando, Florida.
The AAU is one of the best run rip-offs in America!
For those that believe your child will be better off participating in AAU sports, I have a bridge in Brooklyn or waterfront piece of land for sale in the Everglades. Only activity AAU is good at is taking your money and sending it to National Headquarters in Orlando (a.k.a. Walt Disney Inc).
Take your hard earned money and put it in a PA 529 like plan for your children's education. Everybody will be happier.
The AAU is one of the best run rip-offs in America!
For those that believe your child will be better off participating in AAU sports, I have a bridge in Brooklyn or waterfront piece of land for sale in the Everglades. Only activity AAU is good at is taking your money and sending it to National Headquarters in Orlando (a.k.a. Walt Disney Inc).
Take your hard earned money and put it in a PA 529 like plan for your children's education. Everybody will be happier.
shine box., it is all about weather. Nothing magical about southern kids. They just get to play year round, that's the only difference in my mind.
He/she won’t know they like another sport unless they try it. Even if they only like one sport, get them playing others. Push them into individual sports like golf or swimming and do it with them. It doesn’t have to be a competitive thing. My son played basketball and baseball and that was it. He tried soccer and hated it, but nothing else. I wish now I would have taken him to play tennis, golf, hunting, anything but we spent all of our time playing basketball and baseball (mostly baseball).
There are travel teams all over that aren’t AAU. Parents can find the type of team they’re looking for without spending a ton of money. But saying your child won’t be better off is incorrect....please tell me how playing better competition, playing more games and having more practice, and getting better coaching won’t make someone better. In some areas, if a kid doesn’t play travel baseball of some kind their entire season will be over by the beginning of June...how is that going to make a kid better?
It’s up to my kids. I have one that played soccer and did Irish dancing. One does soccer and track. One does volleyball and soccer. One just does soccer. They all have school as the priority. It’s up to them, honestly. If they want to swim, they can swim. If they want to golf, they can golf. If they want to play tennis, they can play tennis. I’m not going to be pushing them into any activity over another.
I agree with letting them decide, but sometimes you have to push them to try something the first time. Who knows, they may really like it. A woman I work with is huge into horse riding....she couldn’t get her daughter to get on a horse, had no interest. She kept pushing her and pushing her and finally the daughter gave in and went riding and has been obsessed ever since. I guess the only wrong answer is to let them choose to do nothing except play video games.
You come on here pretending you didn’t want to get into the fray. Now you start throwing shit around?
To each there own. From my experience, the more you push, the less likely you are to have success. Offer them the opportunities, then let them decide.
Have a good day.
Um, stating that southern athletes aren't better than northern athletes, rather that they have the advantage of better weather to train/play in is "throwing shit around?" Check your meds there sweetheart.
That made it in from a previous post somehow. Should have been pretty obvious from the body of the message that I wasn't being hostile. Geez man.
Not that travel is perfect but you are a bit off with your argument. For a skilled player who loves the game there is a travel team out there for everyone with skills and the desire to compete beyond house league.
filled
Exactly. Our local league sucks and it's filled with a bunch of jerk dads who put themselves in position to control everything for their kid.......and not make everyone better. All about winning.
Many of them are not about winning. Showcase events are set up to allow recruiters the opportubity to see players. Team results are secondary.
Yes as you get older it is less about winning as a team. It’s about exposure of the girls and development. There are a few coaches who are trophy hunters by not that many.
My 13 yr old nephew is a very talented kid. At his age, who knows where it leads. But he has been to Perfect Game Showcases in FL and done quite well, Cary N.C (Olympic Junior teams ) and also this year to the PBR in Indy. A hell of a lot of travel and money. PBR had a ton of college scouts. It's the only time he gets to compete against National level talent. As you know the skill showcases, mean maybe more than the games considering the limited number of at bats, etc. Definitely, an interesting subculture. IIRC, kids used to be able to be approached around age 13 to get locked into colleges. Now that has changed to Junior year from Freshman year, I believe. I'm glad my kids are more the nerd braniacs, this sports biz is really crazy.
Out of all sports, I hear most from parents/uncles/ etc. about how great their kid is at BASEBALL. And I have yet to hear of any of these kids doing anything once they hit 17 years old. Every one of these kids travels for baseball like it’s their job. And where do they end up?
From what I’ve seen, travel baseball is the biggest scam perpetrated on the public. The beauty of this scam wrests on the fact that a great majority of the fathers live vicariously through their kids AND they have the disposable income to participate. Further, the financial requirements necessarily prohibit the very talented (but lower income kids) from competing and allowing reality to set in.
From what I’ve seen, travel baseball is the biggest scam perpetrated on the public. The beauty of this scam wrests on the fact that a great majority of the fathers live vicariously through their kids AND they have the disposable income to participate. Further, the financial requirements necessarily prohibit the very talented (but lower income kids) from competing and allowing reality to set in.
Jeez, I came to argue about Urban, but here is baseball, the love of my life. The joke about AAU/travel ball is how watered down it is. At one time, these teams were nothing but elite players and their parents paying thousands dollars to play and travel. Now, there is an AAU program on every corner which will take all comers with money. The same high prices are being paid by parents to play on a crappy team. AAU in name only. Our local travel teams made up of the better in-house players routinely trash most AAU teams and can hold their own with the elite ones.
IDK everything about this stuff, but there are travel teams and there are TRAVEL teams. My nephew was on the PA All Star team with invitation only and 3 regional try-outs to make the team for PBR in Indianapolis. He has been a MVP at a few Perfect Game Showcases in Florida. He got an invitation to play on Mike Trouts Tri-state all star team. He is grading out as a high D-1 prospect. I think these Travel teams at the higher levels are still not a lock, but the chances are much better than the average local kid. Regarding the underprivileged, poor Hispanics, and those from the Caribbean and Central America are ballers of course. But the African American community doesn't care about baseball as evidenced by the low percentages in MLB.
Well, my son played baseball at the D-1 level, so I would say he got something out of it. He was never going to play pro ball, but he made a lot of good friends, got to travel a lot, and learned a lot more about the game. He was quite happy with his travel experience and where it led him.
Well I was speaking anecdotally. But the people who promote travel ball love to hear the rare stories of folks like you.
Question: Did your son get a scholarship to play ball? If so, was it a full ride?
