Agree or disagree? Kids should only play travel sports if they have college or pro potential

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately, the reality is for some sports a kid needs to play travel to have any chance at making the high school team. That is why we do it.

This, plus it gets my sons off the screens (a constant battle otherwise).

[Anonymous]

Imma put you in first class

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll agree to this only if you also agree that no kids should do children’s theater or music unless they have a chance of being in Hollywood movies, Broadway, or a major symphony.

Personally I might seriously consider this tradeoff if it spares me the pain of yet one more youth theater performance.

+1

Why do math if you won’t be Einstein?

Why do anything?

Why would you force Einstein to play travel sports?

Who said anything about forcing?

You really don't know anyone or have heard of parents forcing their kids to play sports? It happens all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll agree to this only if you also agree that no kids should do children’s theater or music unless they have a chance of being in Hollywood movies, Broadway, or a major symphony.

Personally I might seriously consider this tradeoff if it spares me the pain of yet one more youth theater performance.

+1

Why do math if you won’t be Einstein?

Why do anything?

Why would you force Einstein to play travel sports?

Who said anything about forcing?

You really don't know anyone or have heard of parents forcing their kids to play sports? It happens all the time.

What sport? I’m a long time travel basketball parent, and I never saw this. At my kid’s high school, being on the basketball team had a lot of social value, so maybe kids are more enthusiastic for basketball than some other sports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll agree to this only if you also agree that no kids should do children’s theater or music unless they have a chance of being in Hollywood movies, Broadway, or a major symphony.

Personally I might seriously consider this tradeoff if it spares me the pain of yet one more youth theater performance.

+1

Why do math if you won’t be Einstein?

Why do anything?

Why would you force Einstein to play travel sports?

Who said anything about forcing?

You really don't know anyone or have heard of parents forcing their kids to play sports? It happens all the time.

What sport? I’m a long time travel basketball parent, and I never saw this. At my kid’s high school, being on the basketball team had a lot of social value, so maybe kids are more enthusiastic for basketball than some other sports?

Any sporr. You can't really be serious that you really think all kid actually want to pla

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll agree to this only if you also agree that no kids should do children’s theater or music unless they have a chance of being in Hollywood movies, Broadway, or a major symphony.

Personally I might seriously consider this tradeoff if it spares me the pain of yet one more youth theater performance.

+1

Why do math if you won’t be Einstein?

Why do anything?

Why would you force Einstein to play travel sports?

Who said anything about forcing?

You really don't know anyone or have heard of parents forcing their kids to play sports? It happens all the time.

What sport? I’m a long time travel basketball parent, and I never saw this. At my kid’s high school, being on the basketball team had a lot of social value, so maybe kids are more enthusiastic for basketball than some other sports?

The only times I have seen forcing is at rec level (parents wanting a child to try out a new sport, or the child realizes early in the season that it’s not a fit and the parent forces them to complete the season).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll agree to this only if you also agree that no kids should do children’s theater or music unless they have a chance of being in Hollywood movies, Broadway, or a major symphony.

Personally I might seriously consider this tradeoff if it spares me the pain of yet one more youth theater performance.

+1

Why do math if you won’t be Einstein?

Why do anything?

Why would you force Einstein to play travel sports?

Who said anything about forcing?

You really don't know anyone or have heard of parents forcing their kids to play sports? It happens all the time.

What sport? I’m a long time travel basketball parent, and I never saw this. At my kid’s high school, being on the basketball team had a lot of social value, so maybe kids are more enthusiastic for basketball than some other sports?

The only times I have seen forcing is at rec level (parents wanting a child to try out a new sport, or the child realizes early in the season that it’s not a fit and the parent forces them to complete the season).

Same.

[Anonymous]

I found the B team parents to be less friendly than the top team parents. The b team parents are trying to figure out how to get their kids on a better spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll agree to this only if you also agree that no kids should do children’s theater or music unless they have a chance of being in Hollywood movies, Broadway, or a major symphony.

Personally I might seriously consider this tradeoff if it spares me the pain of yet one more youth theater performance.

+1

Why do math if you won’t be Einstein?

Why do anything?

Why would you force Einstein to play travel sports?

Who said anything about forcing?

You really don't know anyone or have heard of parents forcing their kids to play sports? It happens all the time.

What sport? I’m a long time travel basketball parent, and I never saw this. At my kid’s high school, being on the basketball team had a lot of social value, so maybe kids are more enthusiastic for basketball than some other sports?

The only times I have seen forcing is at rec level (parents wanting a child to try out a new sport, or the child realizes early in the season that it’s not a fit and the parent forces them to complete the season).

Same.

I often have to "force" my kid to do anything other than play Xbox or watch YouTube. Sometimes its homework, music or sports. He's a high aptitude kid once we "force" him off the couch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I found the B team parents to be less friendly than the top team parents. The b team parents are trying to figure out how to get their kids on a better spot.

As someone who has had kids on both A and B teams, my experience has been the opposite. B team parents were chill. A team parents were … the opposite.

[Anonymous]

I can't possibly read this whole thread but honestly everyone should do what is better for their kid at the time and for their family. want to do travel sports? Great, go for it, choose not to, also great.

I have a very good friend and both of our kids played a sport when they were younger and started out together. The friend's kid was better, did travel and played on high school team. My kid was average, played on rec team through most of high school.

Both kids love the sport now, neither plays in college, both watch all the games and will be fans for life. Both also play on adult pick up teams. The goal of sports for most kids is a place to have friends and do something fun in school and have a life long love of something.

[Anonymous]

You know, people used to criticize black families for investing time and energy into sports as though it was the ticket to college and financial stability when, of course, only a tiny fraction of even kids playing in competitive basketball leagues or playing football at those schools that get heavily recruited by top college football programs will go on to get a full scholarship, and even fewer will wind up playing professionally. Even among those that play professionally, only a small number will have a career long enough to actually transform their lives. And many, many of the kids in these programs were instead exploited for money and prestige by the adults who run the programs, and many kids dealt with serious injuries that torpedoed their athletic careers and may even have limited non-athletic careers. And white people used to stand around and tut-tut these families.

How is travel soccer or baseball different than that, other than I guess lower concussion risk than football (lower, but not non-existent, by the way)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mother played in college but never introduced my siblings and me to her team sport. She regretted getting arthritis at an early age as a result of injuries and she didn’t want that for us. She directed us toward individual sports and the performing and fine arts as extracurriculars. I was sad as a kid because it would have been fun to be on a youth team or to have had her as a coach. My brother now has his kids in travel sports and I find it ironic but it is funny how parenting is a reflection of or a reaction to your own experience.

I'm curious what individual sports don't take a toll or result in injury? The ones I can think of like tennis, gymnastics, skiing, ice skating, etc are definitely not safe or easy on the body.

Swimming, yoga, golf, interpretative dance? Those were some of the activities we tried. But, LOL, I also figure skated until 10th grade and that was by no means injury free.

Backstroke very much leads to injury over the long term

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I found the B team parents to be less friendly than the top team parents. The b team parents are trying to figure out how to get their kids on a better spot.

As someone who has had kids on both A and B teams, my experience has been the opposite. B team parents were chill. A team parents were … the opposite.

+1 My daughter's soccer team was very close and the parents got along. Basketball is a scramble for playing time and to stay on the team next year. The kids get a long, but there is more tension and more complicated dynamics. The parents are friendly, but way more reserved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know, people used to criticize black families for investing time and energy into sports as though it was the ticket to college and financial stability when, of course, only a tiny fraction of even kids playing in competitive basketball leagues or playing football at those schools that get heavily recruited by top college football programs will go on to get a full scholarship, and even fewer will wind up playing professionally. Even among those that play professionally, only a small number will have a career long enough to actually transform their lives. And many, many of the kids in these programs were instead exploited for money and prestige by the adults who run the programs, and many kids dealt with serious injuries that torpedoed their athletic careers and may even have limited non-athletic careers. And white people used to stand around and tut-tut these families.

How is travel soccer or baseball different than that, other than I guess lower concussion risk than football (lower, but not non-existent, by the way)?

I think the difference is that the UMC parents who push their kids into travel soccer aren't expecting their kids to make a living out of it (the reality is, the kids who will end up going pro are in MLS academies, not travel soccer). Rather, they're using it as a line item on a college application, and a way to get an advantage in the university application death match.