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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]What is the mindset of parents who sign their pre-teens up for intense travel sports?  Are they trying to keep up with the Jones'?  Hoping their kid will get a baseball scholarship?  Hoping their kid will be the next David Beckham?  I just don't understand the appeal of an entire family sacrificing all of their weekend and weeknight time to these leagues.  Patrice's multiple night s a week sometimes an hour away from home, tournaments lasting all weekend long four hours away, how do so many parents get sucked in?[/quote]

Without reading any posts after this one and getting sucked into flame wars, OP I will say that the main reason people do this is because they really truly believe their kid has a shot at becoming a pro athlete or an Olympian. At least that has been my experience with friends and my kids' friends. I don't think people do it to keep up with the Joneses because most of the Joneses don't do travel sports. I agree that for 99% of families it's not a good investment of their time or money, but some people don't put a price on dreams or their kids' happiness. It's not my business.[/quote]

Hmm, that's not really my experience at all.  But maybe because DD's sport doesnt really have a pro league.

Every now and then you come across the parent that things their kid has D1 potential, but that's few and far between.  Most understand that their girls want to make the HS team (maybe even varsity as a freshman), and maybe play in college (but probably not D1) and truly play select ball because they LOVE LOVE LOVE the sport.  That's the real reason.

DD plays softball.  So pro league is kind of a joke.  It wasn't even an olympic sport this year.  And its REALLY hard to go D1, and even if you do go D1, it's not UCLA or OK or Texas.

These girls do it because rec bores the hell out of them, and they want real competition.  they truly love the sport[/quote]

I coached travel softball teams for 15 years. Probably 250 kids at various stages. I coached at all levels, from brand-new 9U C teams all the way up to showcase "elite" A-level teams.

Maybe 60 of them play in college or will play in college. Maybe half of those play D1. Half of those again quit after one year in college. I can count the number of Power 5 players on one hand.

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