Anonymous wrote:With everyone away traveling every weekend, there scant time for communities to bond.

I'm the PP adding one more thing. Recreational sports can be good for building community. However, with so many travel teams, the level of commitment to rec teams varies widely. Many kids frequently miss practices and games or don't play each season, so it is harder to meet people than it was when only the most elite players played travel sports.

Anonymous wrote:I think the travel sports community is one type of community and having various communities is a healthy thing.

The problem I see with the travel sports community is that it’s limited to players whose parents have enough disposable income to pay and enough free time to do all that travel. Very insular.

That has not been our experience with travel soccer, where my kids have played with a diverse group of players.

The original question is interesting and complex, so much so that I have a hard time coming deciding whether the answer is "yes" or "no." My perspective is informed by years of having multiple kids play travel sports. I also have one child who was not an athlete. In addition to travel sports, my kids have been involved in theater and scouts.

Pros of travel sports include:
Chance to meet kids and families with similar interests
Promotes connections outside of school, which is very important because the availability of school socialization can change (not just COVID school closures, but also request boundary adjustments)
A larger time commitment enables people to really get to know each other
Provides training in the sport, making it more likely that kids will be able to play their sport in college
Opportunity to meet people from different parts of the region (on higher level teams)


Reasons why travel sports are bad:
Very time-consuming which does not allow much time for free play during the younger years. This is an impediment to meeting other families in the neighborhood.

Limited control over team placement - Unlike scouts, a church, or a theater group, frequent cuts and demotions in travel sports separate kids from their friends. With the time commitment, it can be difficult to maintain the connections you make with so much adjustment from year to year. The more you rely on travel sports for social aspects, the more difficult it becomes to not be emotional about changes to team compositions through cuts or movement to higher or lower levels.

Looking back at our experience in travel sports, there was probably more good than bad. At the same time, I regret letting my boys quit scouting because scouting provides a more stable way to form long-term relationships than travel sports. I feel strongly that every kid should have an outlet outside of school, which could be anything from a group of neighborhood friends who are available to hand out regularly to a travel team. In all honestly, looking back at my kids' lives from beginning to end, I have fewer regrets about travel sports than I do about the significant time I spent volunteering at their schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could make the same argument for cars, air conditioning, long distance grandparents, lack of sidewalks, etc

and private school

This. Arguable, private school is more anti-community than travel sports. All my kids are in travel but go to local public school, which is where they spend the vast majority of their day. They walk to school with friends, hang out together outside, and then head to sports around 5P. Why anyone is angry about this is beyond me?

PS - I'm not anti-private school. I just don't understand the OPs angst.

Anonymous wrote:I think the travel sports community is one type of community and having various communities is a healthy thing.

The problem I see with the travel sports community is that it’s limited to players whose parents have enough disposable income to pay and enough free time to do all that travel. Very insular.

Wealthy people will find ways to gather and exclude others no matter what. County clubs, golf clubs, vacation homes, private schools, real estate zoning and gates communities. Travel sports is the tip of the iceberg and I imagine teams manage to find money for really exceptional players.

My kids play a travel sport but I don't befriend other travel parents nor do my kids make close friends on their team.

The only purpose of travel sport is for your kid to be able to play at the level they want to. I have zero desire to socialize with other parents.

I mean have you seen those parents on the sidelines? Maybe parents on lower levels of a travel sport are more laidback, but on the top levels, where kids are likely angling for scholarships or pro (assuming their parents don't kill their love of the game), it's just awful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in some cases travel sports can create a stronger community.

+1. I’m much closer with the travel families than my neighbors.

But that’s a problem

Says who? You really don't see how/why travel sport families of a particular sport will likely have more in common than people who have homes near each other?

I don't know if it's a problem or not but reality is these relationships with travel families are a moment in time. Ask me how I know. Wait until your kid doesn't make the team or needs to switch teams or just ages out. Your strong community won't be so strong. The travel community is a community of convenience.

It's interesting to me some people are very focused on community meaning your immediate neighbors.

To me, community means feeling a part of where you live. It's the people you see frequently, the businesses you frequent and support, your schools, parks, libraries, and public resources you share with everyone. It's broader than the block you live on.

Anyway, there are a lot of kids and families who are around after school and on the weekends where I live. My middle school son hangs out with friends regularly after school and on the weekends and is able to walk to nearly everything his friends do. He has activities but not anything as intense as a travel sport. He has (unsolicited) mentioned a couple kids in his grade who are never around due to always going straight home for practice and never being around on weekends. He says these kids are nice but just not "in the mix". It's just a different path. I don't think it's bad for community because community still exists. These people just aren't doing it, which is fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think in some cases travel sports can create a stronger community.

+1. I’m much closer with the travel families than my neighbors.

But that’s a problem

Says who? You really don't see how/why travel sport families of a particular sport will likely have more in common than people who have homes near each other?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not pro travel teams, but I think this is an odd question. The travel team IS their community. Just because it isn't near your house doesn't mean it isn't a community

But isn’t that a problem? Shouldn’t there be more local community

What about people with lake houses or beach properties? What about all those scouts spending weekends camping?

If you feel like your neighborhood is a ghost town on the weekends and you are a homebody who wants more impromptu meetups, maybe try some new hobbies or help your kids find something with a local presence.

I think the travel sports community is one type of community and having various communities is a healthy thing.

The problem I see with the travel sports community is that it’s limited to players whose parents have enough disposable income to pay and enough free time to do all that travel. Very insular.

I don't think it's only travel sports that are making neighborhoods decline, it's being busy in general. I'm also surprised that less ppl care about the neighborhood scene. When I was growing up 80s and 90s, it was a big deal. Kids, teens and adults were always out and socializing

Anonymous wrote:My son’s baseball team is made up of kids from various NOVA communities. I like that. They’re not school-based and I think that gives them a little more separation and space from seeing each other all the time.

But I also hear about families who reserve weekend time for family activities only. So some are not building community during their own weekends (not blaming).

Yeah, the false premise here is that if these families were not spending weekends at sports, they’d be bonding with neighbors.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not pro travel teams, but I think this is an odd question. The travel team IS their community. Just because it isn't near your house doesn't mean it isn't a community

But isn’t that a problem? Shouldn’t there be more local community

Why? And I guess what does community mean to you? If it means hanging out with random neighbors then no not in favor of that.

My son’s baseball team is made up of kids from various NOVA communities. I like that. They’re not school-based and I think that gives them a little more separation and space from seeing each other all the time.

But I also hear about families who reserve weekend time for family activities only. So some are not building community during their own weekends (not blaming).