Arlington Rec Basketball Uniform Fail

[Anonymous]

My son plays Travel, but also plays with his buddies in the Arlington Rec League.

Last year the parents sprung for beautiful reversible uniforms, with front and back numbers and the kids’ names on the back. The kids took pride in their appearance. Most importantly, they looked like great basketball players.

This year Arlington County included a mandatory fee for “uniforms”. We called them asking to waive the fee as we’d be using our own uniforms. They said no, that the County-sponsored uniform is the only one accepted for competition !!!

Well on Wednesday my son received his “uniform”: a simple reversible mesh tank with a number on the back.

That’s it!!!!!

I called and complained about the People’s Republic again stifling the kids’ creativity. They said there were too many disparities between teams like ours where parents have kids in various travel sports and are used to providing the finest for their beloved children, and AH and FARMS kids who supposedly can only play if they get a scholarship. They went with basic tanks so that kids would feel equal on the court.

Nice, except my kid and his friends are DEVASTATED at having to wear a cheap top that anyone could purchase for five bucks at a surplus store. Part of competition is to dress up for the NEXT level to which you aspire. People will judge you if you wear something cheap to the law firm; the same should hold for the court. The kids have to jump over the mental hurdle of being equated to people with whom they would never associate. No kid should have to put up with that, not when their parents have done everything possible to help them gain separation.

[Anonymous]

Devastated? Really? My kid plays school, travel, and house basketball, and I can't imagine any teen boy being devastated about this. And if my son genuinely were devastated about this, I'd make him do some serious community service, or at least something to make him realize his total ridiculousness.

[Anonymous]

Relax, 11:03. OP is clearly trying to make fun of pearl clutchers.

[Anonymous]

LOL. Devastated, huh? Your entitled brat learned his entitlement from you.

Hopefully he won’t also pick up your racist a-holery.

[Anonymous]

There was a post a year or two ago on the same theme, but with the additional claim that the kids wore their snazzy rec uniforms to travel tryouts. It was kind of a trolling fail, but the image of kids in overdone rec team uniforms going to an AAU tryout did make me smile.

The underlying issue is real- basketball has so many levels, and so many kids and parents lose sight of that. Lots of local travel teams play in leagues with multiple divisions per age group, and the winners of the top divisions in those leagues may play in the bottom division of a big tournament like a Hoop Group jamfest and get crushed every game. And, the kids in the top division of the jamfest are mostly not playing grassroots basketball where the really good kids play. TLDR: don’t think your kid can play just because they beat a rec team made up of band kids or kids totally new to the game. They are most likely at least 10 levels below true competitive basketball, and that’s fine - it’s just a game.

[Anonymous]

No kid should have to put up with that, not when their parents have done everything possible to help them gain separation.

OP, are you freaking kidding me? You are so typical North Arlington. You'll be whining the loudest when your precious child doesn't make the HS team. Your player needs to work on his game, not his uni.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No kid should have to put up with that, not when their parents have done everything possible to help them gain separation.

OP, are you freaking kidding me? You are so typical North Arlington. You'll be whining the loudest when your precious child doesn't make the HS team. Your player needs to work on his game, not his uni.

My son IS working on his game. He meets twice per week with his trainer, he plays travel and gets extra reps in rec league. Plus he shoots baskets at least twice each weekend.

These other kids are still holding my son down. Just as homeless people are not my problem, so too the feelings of kids whose parents don't buy quality uniforms are not my son's concern.

[Anonymous]

Lol to the people taking this OP seriously.

[Anonymous]

This is why people abandon dogshit rec leagues and play travel only. Let the shitty players enjoy their shitty uniforms...

[Anonymous]

Those of you who believe this is a troll have more faith in humans than I do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No kid should have to put up with that, not when their parents have done everything possible to help them gain separation.

OP, are you freaking kidding me? You are so typical North Arlington. You'll be whining the loudest when your precious child doesn't make the HS team. Your player needs to work on his game, not his uni.

My son IS working on his game. He meets twice per week with his trainer, he plays travel and gets extra reps in rec league. Plus he shoots baskets at least twice each weekend.

These other kids are still holding my son down. Just as homeless people are not my problem, so too the feelings of kids whose parents don't buy quality uniforms are not my son's concern.

I think I recognize the work of the troll pretending to be a dad who complained about the bad kids on his coach pitch baseball team.

Dude, get a hobby.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why people abandon dogshit rec leagues and play travel only. Let the shitty players enjoy their shitty uniforms...

LOL, not, it’s not.

[Anonymous]

OP, you really need to check both yourself and the kids on the team. It's a rec league. Why on gods green earth would you get fancy uniforms for a rec league?