Reply to Pay-to-Play Sport at Private HS employing club coach

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't agree with the idea of pay-to-play, but it also seems short-sighted to pillory one coach. The problem is broader than one coach or one school (or even one sport). After watching my son and his teammates for years, I firmly believe that the concerns highlighted by this thread are systemic. I also believe many families ignore that they contribute greatly to the culture they lament. Parents complain that youth players are treated as commodities, but those same parents treat teams and schools as commodities.

From a very young age, families see teams (and schools) merely as way to "showcase" their individual player. (Notice they are seldom referred to as "students" or "kids", they are "players" first and foremost.) As a result, youth and high school baseball has become less and less of a youth, team sport and more as a business proposition from all sides. Schools, travel teams, and families are all caught is a vicious cycle. Parents of top players complain loudly, but the most egregious victims of the current system are education, team dynamics, and talented players who care about more than D-1 college scholarships.[/quote]

I guess I see what you're trying to say, but I still think you have it wrong. The situation with SJC baseball is egregious. It doesn't appear to be just a case of parents sending their kids there to play ball in the hopes of getting a college scholarship and demanding that the school coach treat their sons in a way that gets them those D-1 scholarships. It sounds like the parents of the 5 boys kicked out of the program wanted their sons to play for high level travel teams DURING THE OFFSEASON so they could realize their dream of getting to the next level. 3 of these boys are committed to UNC, UVA and Mississippi State, so I will assume they are talented players with a bright future. Are you going to begrudge them because they possess talent (and surely work really hard) and that has gotten them scholarship money to go to college? Nothing I have read in these 18 pages tells me these boys were not team players at St. Johns or that their parents were complainers. The problem here IS the coach, who will not let very talented players on his high school team play in the offseason for high level teams, in high level showcases, etc. I don't care how good St Johns baseball is - if they have kids committed to these college programs, then those kids are significantly better than other kids in that program. Why should the most talented kids play in the summer and fall with and against less talented players? There are appropriate levels of travel sports for just about every kid. Some kids are very talented and should be "showcased," while others are less talented, are not going to play beyond high school, and should not be "showcased." Those two types of kids should be playing at different levels of travel ball. It's the St Johns baseball coach who is saying "no, this isn't how we're gonna do it."

So ask yourself again, are these families the problem because they have their talented sons play high school baseball and then want them to play at a higher level in the summer and fall?[/quote]

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