Travel sports are killing American families

[Anonymous]

Several posters say their kids play travell and they would rather not but rec stinks for good athletes. I am in that camp.

We have 3 kids with totally desires for what they want from sports...
- one D1 college athlete
- one former athlete in it for social stuff
- one kid who is a great all around athlete - fast, great hand eye, intuition- who would play 5 sports if he could. But on rec teams he was the best player and didn't like kids always fooling around and coaching nonsense. So he does 2 travel sports, which is a tough juggle, and wishes he could still do a couple of others for fun.

I played 3 varsity sports in HS and was bummed to have to pick one for college, where I played D1.That is not an option now, which is a shame.

Rec got broken when all the kids started to be pushed to play by parents. The sport became secondary to other stuff.

[Anonymous]

Sports that have no future beyond college what is payback? I would think if took money spent on the travel sports and put it in 529 find it would pay most of college.

I personally have never paid lacrosse in my life yet I was offered a “full scholarship” to play when I transferred schools. I was approached. Was creepy.

I go meet coach he asks about me I go I never played lacrosse, he then asks height and weight and age. I go 19, six foot two inch 195. He then asks did you play sports. I say well I did track and cross country where we ran three mile races in HS. Then he gives me a “scholarship” form. I apparently was going to be a human tackling dummy in practice against starting team. As soon as injures will be dropped. And school will confiscate my financial aid and only cover distance and has to quit my part time job during season. And had to sign a form I can’t sue if crippled or severely injured. My financial aid was 100 percent so really I was getting nothing. I turned it down.

Unless you are good and a star college sports seem crazy to do. My good buddy was actually a practice dummy in D1 college basketball got badly injured requiring surgery school canceled scholarship and did not pay medical bills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know people lament travel sports, but I guess the alternative is to look at European soccer and basketball development.

In Europe, kids are selected to play for academy teams as early as 5. Ajax in Holland basically has boarding school for players staring at 5.

You basically have groups of kids groomed for pro leagues at very young ages. Everyone remaining knows they are only Rec players. There isn’t as much pressure because you never play against these pro kids. They exist in their own world. There are no college sports, so again, it’s either pro or rec.

The other difference is they don’t start playing real games until like 15. Up until that, it is all skills development, conditioning and training.

Maybe that is a better system even though perhaps harsher. Kids know at a fairly young age that it’s only Rec from here on out and there is not the false thinking everyone will be a D1 athlete.

What? How can you lock in ongoing affinity for a sport and predict genetics and athleticism at the age of 5?

They are cut throat…up until like 12/13 kids are kicked out and others enter.

Soccer is a sport where technical abilities are paramount. Those kids get millions of touches before they play their first game.

Messi left home at 5 to enter the FC Barcelona academy.

These clubs are the best in the world, so they must know what they are doing.

The main point is at least everyone not in this elite group doesn’t waste thousands of dollars on travel sports like you have in the US. The remaining kids just play for fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sports that have no future beyond college what is payback? I would think if took money spent on the travel sports and put it in 529 find it would pay most of college.

I personally have never paid lacrosse in my life yet I was offered a “full scholarship” to play when I transferred schools. I was approached. Was creepy.

I go meet coach he asks about me I go I never played lacrosse, he then asks height and weight and age. I go 19, six foot two inch 195. He then asks did you play sports. I say well I did track and cross country where we ran three mile races in HS. Then he gives me a “scholarship” form. I apparently was going to be a human tackling dummy in practice against starting team. As soon as injures will be dropped. And school will confiscate my financial aid and only cover distance and has to quit my part time job during season. And had to sign a form I can’t sue if crippled or severely injured. My financial aid was 100 percent so really I was getting nothing. I turned it down.

Unless you are good and a star college sports seem crazy to do. My good buddy was actually a practice dummy in D1 college basketball got badly injured requiring surgery school canceled scholarship and did not pay medical bills.

I guess this has to be constantly repeated - most people don't do sports for a payback like you're suggesting. It's for fun at the time, the camaraderie, the health benefits, the challenge, working towards goals etc. And there are a lot of things a person could give up to then put the money for a 529, but if you can afford something and enjoy it, why not do it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s sad. The amount of time and money spent for 5-10 years and then poof!

Most kids will not play in college, most will not get scholarships, none will make the Olympics.

Life goes on. No one cares if you were in a club team and most won’t even care of you play D1.

Once you get have a job, get married and have kids none of this matters. No one cares.

No, then you start your own travel team and continue your lifelong passion coaching, teaching others, etc.

I'm not musical but don't begrudge people who spend a lot of time learning their instrument who will never play in college, get a scholarship, join the symphony, and will get a job like everyone else that has nothing to do with music. I don't care what they do with their time and money. They can play their instrument on the side as much as a former athlete can play their sport in the adult clubs out there.

Do you understand humor when you see it? Does it have to start with "knock-knock" or "yo mamma" for you to tell it's a joke?

Obviously it's ridiculous but we have a whole thread dedicated to "ruined American families" with people voicing this sentiment in unjoking terms. You may think you're joking but for sure people agree with you anyway. We see loads of negativity around sports but nobody starts threads to bash the musicians, chess players and spelling bee aficionados.

Who isn’t mocking spelling bee aficionados? I thought we all were?

Well, especially now that we know how much they pay to spell words that nobody uses in real life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know people lament travel sports, but I guess the alternative is to look at European soccer and basketball development.

In Europe, kids are selected to play for academy teams as early as 5. Ajax in Holland basically has boarding school for players staring at 5.

You basically have groups of kids groomed for pro leagues at very young ages. Everyone remaining knows they are only Rec players. There isn’t as much pressure because you never play against these pro kids. They exist in their own world. There are no college sports, so again, it’s either pro or rec.

The other difference is they don’t start playing real games until like 15. Up until that, it is all skills development, conditioning and training.

Maybe that is a better system even though perhaps harsher. Kids know at a fairly young age that it’s only Rec from here on out and there is not the false thinking everyone will be a D1 athlete.

What? How can you lock in ongoing affinity for a sport and predict genetics and athleticism at the age of 5?

They are cut throat…up until like 12/13 kids are kicked out and others enter.

Soccer is a sport where technical abilities are paramount. Those kids get millions of touches before they play their first game.

Messi left home at 5 to enter the FC Barcelona academy.

These clubs are the best in the world, so they must know what they are doing.

The main point is at least everyone not in this elite group doesn’t waste thousands of dollars on travel sports like you have in the US. The remaining kids just play for fun.

But the US is the country where kids can become everything they want. Who are you to tell Billy that he can't become a D1 athlete? Let the sucker pay for his dreams!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s sad. The amount of time and money spent for 5-10 years and then poof!

Most kids will not play in college, most will not get scholarships, none will make the Olympics.

Life goes on. No one cares if you were in a club team and most won’t even care of you play D1.

Once you get have a job, get married and have kids none of this matters. No one cares.

No, then you start your own travel team and continue your lifelong passion coaching, teaching others, etc.

I'm not musical but don't begrudge people who spend a lot of time learning their instrument who will never play in college, get a scholarship, join the symphony, and will get a job like everyone else that has nothing to do with music. I don't care what they do with their time and money. They can play their instrument on the side as much as a former athlete can play their sport in the adult clubs out there.

Do you understand humor when you see it? Does it have to start with "knock-knock" or "yo mamma" for you to tell it's a joke?

Obviously it's ridiculous but we have a whole thread dedicated to "ruined American families" with people voicing this sentiment in unjoking terms. You may think you're joking but for sure people agree with you anyway. We see loads of negativity around sports but nobody starts threads to bash the musicians, chess players and spelling bee aficionados.

Who isn’t mocking spelling bee aficionados? I thought we all were?

Of course we are i was just being nice. But it’s bit really different.

[Anonymous]

Well yes 10 is pretty young. We started travel at age 12. It’s been great for our family. To each her own

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s sad. The amount of time and money spent for 5-10 years and then poof!

Most kids will not play in college, most will not get scholarships, none will make the Olympics.

Life goes on. No one cares if you were in a club team and most won’t even care of you play D1.

Once you get have a job, get married and have kids none of this matters. No one cares.

No, then you start your own travel team and continue your lifelong passion coaching, teaching others, etc.

I'm not musical but don't begrudge people who spend a lot of time learning their instrument who will never play in college, get a scholarship, join the symphony, and will get a job like everyone else that has nothing to do with music. I don't care what they do with their time and money. They can play their instrument on the side as much as a former athlete can play their sport in the adult clubs out there.

Do you understand humor when you see it? Does it have to start with "knock-knock" or "yo mamma" for you to tell it's a joke?

Obviously it's ridiculous but we have a whole thread dedicated to "ruined American families" with people voicing this sentiment in unjoking terms. You may think you're joking but for sure people agree with you anyway. We see loads of negativity around sports but nobody starts threads to bash the musicians, chess players and spelling bee aficionados.

Who isn’t mocking spelling bee aficionados? I thought we all were?

Well, especially now that we know how much they pay to spell words that nobody uses in real life.

They are out of shape but can spell useless words. At least sports offers health benefits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s sad. The amount of time and money spent for 5-10 years and then poof!

Most kids will not play in college, most will not get scholarships, none will make the Olympics.

Life goes on. No one cares if you were in a club team and most won’t even care of you play D1.

Once you get have a job, get married and have kids none of this matters. No one cares.

No, then you start your own travel team and continue your lifelong passion coaching, teaching others, etc.

I'm not musical but don't begrudge people who spend a lot of time learning their instrument who will never play in college, get a scholarship, join the symphony, and will get a job like everyone else that has nothing to do with music. I don't care what they do with their time and money. They can play their instrument on the side as much as a former athlete can play their sport in the adult clubs out there.

Do you understand humor when you see it? Does it have to start with "knock-knock" or "yo mamma" for you to tell it's a joke?

Obviously it's ridiculous but we have a whole thread dedicated to "ruined American families" with people voicing this sentiment in unjoking terms. You may think you're joking but for sure people agree with you anyway. We see loads of negativity around sports but nobody starts threads to bash the musicians, chess players and spelling bee aficionados.

The negativity is not against the sports, it is against the system that milks the parents for their kids to play sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s sad. The amount of time and money spent for 5-10 years and then poof!

Most kids will not play in college, most will not get scholarships, none will make the Olympics.

Life goes on. No one cares if you were in a club team and most won’t even care of you play D1.

Once you get have a job, get married and have kids none of this matters. No one cares.

No, then you start your own travel team and continue your lifelong passion coaching, teaching others, etc.

I'm not musical but don't begrudge people who spend a lot of time learning their instrument who will never play in college, get a scholarship, join the symphony, and will get a job like everyone else that has nothing to do with music. I don't care what they do with their time and money. They can play their instrument on the side as much as a former athlete can play their sport in the adult clubs out there.

Do you understand humor when you see it? Does it have to start with "knock-knock" or "yo mamma" for you to tell it's a joke?

Obviously it's ridiculous but we have a whole thread dedicated to "ruined American families" with people voicing this sentiment in unjoking terms. You may think you're joking but for sure people agree with you anyway. We see loads of negativity around sports but nobody starts threads to bash the musicians, chess players and spelling bee aficionados.

Who isn’t mocking spelling bee aficionados? I thought we all were?

Well, especially now that we know how much they pay to spell words that nobody uses in real life.

They are out of shape but can spell useless words. At least sports offers health benefits.

Especially football. Who doesn't want a little bit of chronic traumatic encephalopathy?

[Anonymous]

Payback?? What about the experience a kid is having day to day participating in their travel sport?
Sure some players or their families see travel sports as a path to playing in college, or getting into a higher tier school.
But for some, the travel sport is just what the kid prefers to do with their time, and parents are willing to pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s sad. The amount of time and money spent for 5-10 years and then poof!

Most kids will not play in college, most will not get scholarships, none will make the Olympics.

Life goes on. No one cares if you were in a club team and most won’t even care of you play D1.

Once you get have a job, get married and have kids none of this matters. No one cares.

No, then you start your own travel team and continue your lifelong passion coaching, teaching others, etc.

I'm not musical but don't begrudge people who spend a lot of time learning their instrument who will never play in college, get a scholarship, join the symphony, and will get a job like everyone else that has nothing to do with music. I don't care what they do with their time and money. They can play their instrument on the side as much as a former athlete can play their sport in the adult clubs out there.

Do you understand humor when you see it? Does it have to start with "knock-knock" or "yo mamma" for you to tell it's a joke?

Obviously it's ridiculous but we have a whole thread dedicated to "ruined American families" with people voicing this sentiment in unjoking terms. You may think you're joking but for sure people agree with you anyway. We see loads of negativity around sports but nobody starts threads to bash the musicians, chess players and spelling bee aficionados.

Who isn’t mocking spelling bee aficionados? I thought we all were?

Well, especially now that we know how much they pay to spell words that nobody uses in real life.

They are out of shape but can spell useless words. At least sports offers health benefits.

Especially football. Who doesn't want a little bit of chronic traumatic encephalopathy?

Well for some kids that’s the best chance they have.

[Anonymous]

I don't think the author appreciates how few American families are suffering from this particular form of OCD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a total racket but “killing the American family” seems a bit much.

Our neighbors are getting divorced and she has alluded to the fact that spending most weekends apart as she took one child out of state for a soccer tournament and her husband took a different child to a different region for another sport didn’t help. They did this for like five years including the day after thanksgiving etc. This doesn’t seem great for communication particularly if you both work during the week and seems to provide a lot of temptation to cheat if you were so inclined.

This is a really weird post. Traveling or not traveling has zip to do with ability to communicate effectively, and cheaters will always cheat, while the faithful will always be faithful. Your neighbor is blaming travel sports for problems in her marriage that would have come to the breaking point no matter what.