Middle school boys and sports

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Recent article in this s subject:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/11/income-inequality-explains-decline-youth-sports/574975/

Too much money in kids’ sports.

This story is stupid. You can't just "write a check" to get your kid on a travel "superteam". Your kid has to try out, and not suck.

“When these kids move to the travel team, you pull bodies out of the local town’s recreation league, and it sends a message [to those] who didn’t get onto that track that they don’t really have a future in the sport.”

Which is true. But also, most of the kids on a travel team don't really have a future in that sport, either. They will not get college scholarships or play in college. And nothing stops you from playing rec if you enjoy it.

"the American system of youth sports—serving the talented, and often rich, individual at the expense of the collective—has taken a metal bat to the values of participation and universal development."

No. Stupid. Nothing is stopping you from participating in rec sports.

"Youth sports has become a pay-to-play machine."

Bullshit. If you suck, you won't get to play no matter how much you pay.

"Declining athletic participation is a prime example of how the choices even benevolent rich households make can hurt poorer families—especially their children."

Fvck off. My kid playing travel is NOT hurting anybody.

“But they don’t think about the kids they’re leaving behind. They’re not thinking about what makes sense for the whole community.”

Fvck off. The whole community can go play rec ball. I'm not stopping them.

"Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic,"

He is also a pencil-necked geek who obviously got chosen last for grade-school kickball and never got over it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recent article in this s subject:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/11/income-inequality-explains-decline-youth-sports/574975/

Too much money in kids’ sports.

"the American system of youth sports—serving the talented, and often rich, individual at the expense of the collective—has taken a metal bat to the values of participation and universal development."

No. Stupid. Nothing is stopping you from participating in rec sports.

You missed the author's point and for me, it's the biggest take home. The only way to get ahead in today's youth sport world is with money. PEriod. Of course you have to have some talent but in soccer especially, he who has money will succeed. I've seen it, I've talked to youth coaches in Bethesda who went through the system, played in college and are now coaching, etc. It's the sad reality. We are the only country in the world where it's like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recent article in this s subject:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/11/income-inequality-explains-decline-youth-sports/574975/

Too much money in kids’ sports.

This story is stupid. You can't just "write a check" to get your kid on a travel "superteam". Your kid has to try out, and not suck.

“When these kids move to the travel team, you pull bodies out of the local town’s recreation league, and it sends a message [to those] who didn’t get onto that track that they don’t really have a future in the sport.”

Which is true. But also, most of the kids on a travel team don't really have a future in that sport, either. They will not get college scholarships or play in college. And nothing stops you from playing rec if you enjoy it.

"the American system of youth sports—serving the talented, and often rich, individual at the expense of the collective—has taken a metal bat to the values of participation and universal development."

No. Stupid. Nothing is stopping you from participating in rec sports.

"Youth sports has become a pay-to-play machine."

Bullshit. If you suck, you won't get to play no matter how much you pay.

"Declining athletic participation is a prime example of how the choices even benevolent rich households make can hurt poorer families—especially their children."

Fvck off. My kid playing travel is NOT hurting anybody.

“But they don’t think about the kids they’re leaving behind. They’re not thinking about what makes sense for the whole community.”

Fvck off. The whole community can go play rec ball. I'm not stopping them.

"Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic,"

He is also a pencil-necked geek who obviously got chosen last for grade-school kickball and never got over it.

Wow...you are angry and super defensive. Participation in youth sports is down across the country...that's a fact. I've read it in several other articles, not just this Atlantic piece, which I thought was well written. I don't really have any skin in this game because my kids are swimmers, and swimming has always been year-round and club focused. But other sports were different. People didn't play baseball, basketball, and soccer year-round when I was a kid. They played in rec leagues during the appropriate season and then in high school. And guess what?? Many kids I grew up with went on to play at the college and professional level.

You say that people don't have to play travel, they can play rec. But rec leagues are dying...especially baseball leagues. I'm sure you're judging everything from your UMC perspective thinking, "we have plenty of rec leagues. Tons of kids play sports, etc." But that is not the reality among less affluent people. Obviously you don't care -- as long as your kid is doing well on his/her travel team, all is good, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, there are rec options for some sports, but many kids have moved on to travel/select so you are left with teams consisting of boys who have never played together and don’t know each other which makes it a lot less fun/successful. It’s great if you have a group of friends who decide to stick with rec, but I don’t think that’s the case for most kids. And baseball pp, I’m with you. It’s completely nuts in this area.

Kids that go to travel don't go as s group.

Sometimes you need to make new friends, it's fine.

[Anonymous]

Have him keep up with his sport but gain technical skills so he can break into front offices as an analyst/decision maker.

30 years from now when he’s a GM in the nfl, nba, or mlb, he’ll have the last laugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This area is nuts with the sports. My DS is good at baseball, but could not compete with the kids as most of them had private batting coaches and many private lessons. Also, the coaches scout out the kids in middle school, so if you are not on their radar, you will not make the team in H.S. Just our experience.

Is the dc area really that strong in baseball?

All the studs are mostly in the Deep South or Cali

[Anonymous]

There will always be someone willing to take your money to tell you what you want to hear about your kid. That is youth sports in a nutshell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Recent article in this s subject:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/11/income-inequality-explains-decline-youth-sports/574975/

Too much money in kids’ sports.

This story is stupid. You can't just "write a check" to get your kid on a travel "superteam". Your kid has to try out, and not suck.

“When these kids move to the travel team, you pull bodies out of the local town’s recreation league, and it sends a message [to those] who didn’t get onto that track that they don’t really have a future in the sport.”

Which is true. But also, most of the kids on a travel team don't really have a future in that sport, either. They will not get college scholarships or play in college. And nothing stops you from playing rec if you enjoy it.

"the American system of youth sports—serving the talented, and often rich, individual at the expense of the collective—has taken a metal bat to the values of participation and universal development."

No. Stupid. Nothing is stopping you from participating in rec sports.

"Youth sports has become a pay-to-play machine."

Bullshit. If you suck, you won't get to play no matter how much you pay.

"Declining athletic participation is a prime example of how the choices even benevolent rich households make can hurt poorer families—especially their children."

Fvck off. My kid playing travel is NOT hurting anybody.

“But they don’t think about the kids they’re leaving behind. They’re not thinking about what makes sense for the whole community.”

Fvck off. The whole community can go play rec ball. I'm not stopping them.

"Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic,"

He is also a pencil-necked geek who obviously got chosen last for grade-school kickball and never got over it.

The lady or man protests too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow...you are angry and super defensive. Participation in youth sports is down across the country...that's a fact. I've read it in several other articles, not just this Atlantic piece, which I thought was well written. I don't really have any skin in this game because my kids are swimmers, and swimming has always been year-round and club focused. But other sports were different. People didn't play baseball, basketball, and soccer year-round when I was a kid. They played in rec leagues during the appropriate season and then in high school. And guess what?? Many kids I grew up with went on to play at the college and professional level.

You say that people don't have to play travel, they can play rec. But rec leagues are dying...especially baseball leagues. I'm sure you're judging everything from your UMC perspective thinking, "we have plenty of rec leagues. Tons of kids play sports, etc." But that is not the reality among less affluent people. Obviously you don't care -- as long as your kid is doing well on his/her travel team, all is good, right?

"Wow...you are angry and super defensive." -- nope. The tone you're not reading is contempt for "fairness" whiners like the guy who wrote this article and apparently also you. There is no need for me to "defend" my kid participating in rec sports, since I don't believe there is any stigma for doing so.

"Participation in youth sports is down across the country...that's a fact." -- no, it isn't. Participation in sports is constant or increasing. Some sports (e.g. football) might be declining but others are increasing.

"People didn't play baseball, basketball, and soccer year-round when I was a kid. They played in rec leagues during the appropriate season and then in high school." -- People didn't even play in rec leagues when I was a kid. It was the school team or nothing.

"Many kids I grew up with went on to play at the college and professional level." -- Bullshit. The number of high school kids who play in college is tiny, and the number of college kids who play pro is also tiny. For you to know "many" kids like that is simply not credible. Name them!

"But rec leagues are dying...especially baseball leagues." -- Wrong again. Your combination of arrogance and ignorance is hilarious.

https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2018/04/12/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/Baseball.aspx

Participation in baseball has again posted sizable gains, according to new data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. Measures for '17 showed baseball participation grew 6% overall and 12.9% for casual participation. That follows 7.7% and 18.4% growth, respectively, in ’16. Over a three-year span -- a period roughly corresponding with the implementation of MLB's Play Ball youth participation effort -- casual play for baseball has grown 49.1%, and baseball has added 2.5 million new participants.

"But that is not the reality among less affluent people." -- Uh huh. And what do you actually know about that? Do you know any poor people? I bet that's complete bullshit like your claim to have grown up with pro athletes.

"Obviously you don't care -- as long as your kid is doing well on his/her travel team, all is good, right?" -- Yeah, pretty much. If you think my kid should have to play rec just because you have the sadz about some "less affluent" kids (that you don't even know) who can't play travel, you have another thing coming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow...you are angry and super defensive. Participation in youth sports is down across the country...that's a fact. I've read it in several other articles, not just this Atlantic piece, which I thought was well written. I don't really have any skin in this game because my kids are swimmers, and swimming has always been year-round and club focused. But other sports were different. People didn't play baseball, basketball, and soccer year-round when I was a kid. They played in rec leagues during the appropriate season and then in high school. And guess what?? Many kids I grew up with went on to play at the college and professional level.

You say that people don't have to play travel, they can play rec. But rec leagues are dying...especially baseball leagues. I'm sure you're judging everything from your UMC perspective thinking, "we have plenty of rec leagues. Tons of kids play sports, etc." But that is not the reality among less affluent people. Obviously you don't care -- as long as your kid is doing well on his/her travel team, all is good, right?

"Wow...you are angry and super defensive." -- nope. The tone you're not reading is contempt for "fairness" whiners like the guy who wrote this article and apparently also you. There is no need for me to "defend" my kid participating in rec sports, since I don't believe there is any stigma for doing so.

"Participation in youth sports is down across the country...that's a fact." -- no, it isn't. Participation in sports is constant or increasing. Some sports (e.g. football) might be declining but others are increasing.

OP here. Thanks, PP for confirming my decision not to put my kids on the path to do travel sports. You perfectly illustrated why many families who can afford to pay for travel choose not to so they can avoid a**holes like you. Hence, my original post - there’s a true lack of options for kids who are good players, but don’t want to play on teams with parents like you.

"People didn't play baseball, basketball, and soccer year-round when I was a kid. They played in rec leagues during the appropriate season and then in high school." -- People didn't even play in rec leagues when I was a kid. It was the school team or nothing.

"Many kids I grew up with went on to play at the college and professional level." -- Bullshit. The number of high school kids who play in college is tiny, and the number of college kids who play pro is also tiny. For you to know "many" kids like that is simply not credible. Name them!

"But rec leagues are dying...especially baseball leagues." -- Wrong again. Your combination of arrogance and ignorance is hilarious.

https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2018/04/12/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/Baseball.aspx

Participation in baseball has again posted sizable gains, according to new data from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. Measures for '17 showed baseball participation grew 6% overall and 12.9% for casual participation. That follows 7.7% and 18.4% growth, respectively, in ’16. Over a three-year span -- a period roughly corresponding with the implementation of MLB's Play Ball youth participation effort -- casual play for baseball has grown 49.1%, and baseball has added 2.5 million new participants.

"But that is not the reality among less affluent people." -- Uh huh. And what do you actually know about that? Do you know any poor people? I bet that's complete bullshit like your claim to have grown up with pro athletes.

"Obviously you don't care -- as long as your kid is doing well on his/her travel team, all is good, right?" -- Yeah, pretty much. If you think my kid should have to play rec just because you have the sadz about some "less affluent" kids (that you don't even know) who can't play travel, you have another thing coming.

[Anonymous]

Sorry for the double post but my last post got buried in PP’s nonsense so I’m posting again here:

OP here. Thanks, PP for confirming my decision not to put my kids on the path to do travel sports. You perfectly illustrated why many families who can afford to pay for travel choose not to so they can avoid a**holes like you. Hence, my original post - there’s a true lack of options for kids who are good players, but don’t want to play on teams with parents like you.

[Anonymous]

It doesn't help that the rec team system relies on parent volunteers. In today's society of dual working parents and long hours and horrible commutes, parents have had to step back from volunteering. Families can't always get their kids to practice across town by 5 pm, much less be the coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't help that the rec team system relies on parent volunteers. In today's society of dual working parents and long hours and horrible commutes, parents have had to step back from volunteering. Families can't always get their kids to practice across town by 5 pm, much less be the coach.

This is very true!

I am a terrible athlete and did Rec for years as a kid. Community based, parent coaches.

My DS is really athletic and we have stuck with Rec for as long as possible. But, it’s tough to find coaches and the coaching can be spotty. Finally moving on to the next level this year, but would be happy to stick with Rec if it was a good option.

Even MSI at the Rec level has us traveling a half hour away for games!

[Anonymous]

It's not a sport available to everyone, but my son rows for his public high school rowing team (club sport, not school sponsored). It's no-cut, and the great thing about rowing is that you can't start until you're big enough. My son started in 7th grade at a local rowing club, but the vast majority of his teammates didn't start until 9th grade. Some kids were late bloomers athletically, some were very strong in a sport but didn't do travel team for the reasons PP have stated, some just hated ball sports -- whatever the reason, they were able to start a new sport in high school without the ridiculously crazy competition to get on the high school soccer team or what have you. The camaraderie on the team is amazing, and these kids have to work together to the nth degree to move the boat through the water, so it is truly a team effort.

Rowing is definitely not an option available to everyone, logistically and financially, so the money (and frankly privilege) issue comes into it. But if it's an option, it's a great choice for a kid who's not going to go further in his team sport because it's so hard to get to the level in high school where he can make the team given the tremendous competitiveness. There might be other, less popular sports than all the ball sports that are like this as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry for the double post but my last post got buried in PP’s nonsense so I’m posting again here:

OP here. Thanks, PP for confirming my decision not to put my kids on the path to do travel sports. You perfectly illustrated why many families who can afford to pay for travel choose not to so they can avoid a**holes like you. Hence, my original post - there’s a true lack of options for kids who are good players, but don’t want to play on teams with parents like you.

Yet again, I will say that you can find great coaches and teams in SFL. Check the division standings and request the coach that has the best standings within the club you want. What area are you in? McLean? Herndon? Fairfax? Springfield? I'm sure you be able to find an excellent team with a great coach within SFL.