Travel Youth sports scam?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t see how it’s a scam. At least in our local travel softball group, no one is making any money and everyone is a volunteer. All the money we pay goes directly towards expenses. Playing travel vs rec is the only way to weed out brand new or non-serious players, especially once you hit 11/12 or so. Also “travel” is a misnomer. We don’t travel - plenty of local tournaments and double-headers so we don’t need to.

So how is it a scam? We’d be happy playing in a select house/all-star league against other similar teams but those don’t exist in our area.

Uh, this is a rec league. You travel nowhere and don't pay coaches.

No rec. We can cut players, and playing time is not equal. So if you don’t care/don’t show up, you don’t play. Maybe it’s not full travel, but SO much better than rec. My DD would have quit her sport if she needed to keep playing with rec players.

[Anonymous]

It’s common knowledge that about 70% of kids who play sports quit by middle school. The reasons are burnout, early specialization, inequity, and a loss of joy in the game. Students have parents with delusions that with the right amount of private coaching and traveling they can make a talented players.

The reality is 70% of the students who quit were ok at sports but they kept being pushed into something they weren’t capable of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This from the article …..

It’s acceptable to be less talented in sports than your peers. Most kids are OK with it- the parents can’t accept their kid isn’t as good as the neighbor's kid. It grinds on them. So what do they do? They push their kid to be something they are not, and most likely something they don’t want to be.

This is true but the worst parents are the ones who complain the lowest level players are bringing their child down. In elementary school!

I know this happens but usually our team is not “good enough” for those parents so they leave. Most parents I meet have the right perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do you care op?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The parents who do it, love it. They are extroverted alcoholics, usually. They love to have social plans every weekend where there will be others to gossip with and drink with and have dinner with and drink with, plus, their kids can play sports with their friends. It’s a win for everyone!

Is it win for everyone though? Do all the kids actually love it, when they can just play with friends in an unorganized, probably more fun way.

I travel a lot for work and stay at hotels where these travel teams stay, and can assure you that the kids run around having the time of their lives, Lord of the Flies style, while their parents get drunk. They may hate the sports aspect, I don’t know either way, but I can tell you they love the social aspect as much as their parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This from the article …..

It’s acceptable to be less talented in sports than your peers. Most kids are OK with it- the parents can’t accept their kid isn’t as good as the neighbor's kid. It grinds on them. So what do they do? They push their kid to be something they are not, and most likely something they don’t want to be.

This is true but the worst parents are the ones who complain the lowest level players are bringing their child down. In elementary school!

Our parochial school has a no-cut team and I had this conversation before the start:
Me: I heard Larlo is on a travel team. He must be really good!
Other mom: they let anyone on that team who is willing to pay. Some of those kids are so awful they shouldn't even be there. They're bringing the whole team down.
Me: well, my kid's never even played this before. I'm just happy he's getting exercise.
Very awkward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do you care op?

Why don’t YOU care? Youth sports are taking over family lives.. leading to burn out, injuries, etc. Every grown up should care.

[Anonymous]

We did two summers of travel baseball, mostly because DS wanted to play in college and needed more exposure. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but DS had a great experience with it. The only people I see making money from it are those who run baseball facilities in the middle of nowhere and the closest Hampton Inns thereto.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thought the article raised some serious questions.

https://www.basketballspeedspecialist.com/blog/youth-sports-is-the-greatest-theft-in-america

IME I have seen that every other kid plays travel now..and no they are not all that and they don’t need to be playing travel.

It’s so sad how many parents force their kids into these ridiculous sports-ball lifestyles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thought the article raised some serious questions.

https://www.basketballspeedspecialist.com/blog/youth-sports-is-the-greatest-theft-in-america

IME I have seen that every other kid plays travel now..and no they are not all that and they don’t need to be playing travel.

It’s so sad how many parents force their kids into these ridiculous sports-ball lifestyles.

No sadder than parents who don’t allow sports because they believe these stupid made up articles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thought the article raised some serious questions.

https://www.basketballspeedspecialist.com/blog/youth-sports-is-the-greatest-theft-in-america

IME I have seen that every other kid plays travel now..and no they are not all that and they don’t need to be playing travel.

It’s so sad how many parents force their kids into these ridiculous sports-ball lifestyles.

No sadder than parents who don’t allow sports because they believe these stupid made up articles.

Made up articles, come on, parents like thos exist, not all kids that play sports actually want to be there whether you admit it or not. And nobody said anything about saying no to sports at all. Just these all consuming sports that parents get sucked into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thought the article raised some serious questions.

https://www.basketballspeedspecialist.com/blog/youth-sports-is-the-greatest-theft-in-america

IME I have seen that every other kid plays travel now..and no they are not all that and they don’t need to be playing travel.

It’s so sad how many parents force their kids into these ridiculous sports-ball lifestyles.

No sadder than parents who don’t allow sports because they believe these stupid made up articles.

So you don't think that kids can be ok without sports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s common knowledge that about 70% of kids who play sports quit by middle school. The reasons are burnout, early specialization, inequity, and a loss of joy in the game. Students have parents with delusions that with the right amount of private coaching and traveling they can make a talented players.

The reality is 70% of the students who quit were ok at sports but they kept being pushed into something they weren’t capable of.

I have seen this with my kids' friends. In one particularly memorable case the mom had been a basketball player (not at a top school) and she was so angry when her tall daughter didn't want to play basketball (and wasn't all that good at it) but instead joined the no-cut XC team. The fact that her DD did XC all 4 years of high school wasn't good enough for her. Crazy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thought the article raised some serious questions.

https://www.basketballspeedspecialist.com/blog/youth-sports-is-the-greatest-theft-in-america

IME I have seen that every other kid plays travel now..and no they are not all that and they don’t need to be playing travel.

It’s so sad how many parents force their kids into these ridiculous sports-ball lifestyles.

No sadder than parents who don’t allow sports because they believe these stupid made up articles.

So you don't think that kids can be ok without sports?

I have one that would be okay without (but she dances) and one that loves her sport. I don't think it's right to deny the one that loves it because I have a personal hang up about it or don't feel like driving to sports practices or because *some* subset of parents don't handle it well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you care op?

Why don’t YOU care? Youth sports are taking over family lives.. leading to burn out, injuries, etc. Every grown up should care.

We don’t care fool