re: Do 90% of these kids really need to be on these competitive travel ball teams?

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Now every kid is a frickin all American. Crazy.

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I see the same parents bragging about their kid's 8th ring and 8th state/regional championship within like a month of each other. Seems the joy of winning state or whatever they call it now is watered down greatly.

I know a guy that is a partner in a company that runs tournaments all over the nation and they make good money doing it. They rent fields for a weekend and hold "state" tournaments and rake in money from the entry fees, concession, etc. They also offer a streaming service of it you can pay to watch that tournament. That's all travel ball is now is a business and has no meaning. That's why any kid can play it now as long as their parents are willing to put up the money.

I would argue Little League All-Stars has better players and means more than the for-profit tournaments.

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Not sure about Broussard but Youngsville is paid off and expanding

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That is good to hear for Youngsville.

In listening to some recent debate on these parks, the fear for the local districts that pass these rec taxes and bonds to build these facilities is what happens when there is not enough tournaments and revenue falls flat. Now you have a drain on your existing revenue or general funds if a municipality.

I think when the market gets saturated with these fields, the recreation districts look up the next up and coming national or regional travel ball organization not already in the local area and try to get a local chapter to lure a state or regional tournament to keep the Travel Ball Tourism dollars flowing.

And that is how the watering down process starts, and every child can play on a travel ball team no matter how bad or good they are.

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Wish it was still the same as when I grew up, 1-2 practices a week and a game on Saturday, maybe 1 during the week sometimes. Now every sport is 4+ days a week of hardcore BS and prohibits playing 3-4 sports a year to figure out what you like and what you are good at.

frick travel ball and what it’s become

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Agree. Everything is like this now. (yes, some folks will chime and say no it's not... but it is like this here, where we live). Kids get burned out and miss out on opportunities down the road.

I miss the concept of letting kids dabble in a bunch of sports to learn them and have fun, and let them sort it out as they get older. So many kids now have a specialty before they are even double digits.

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I would argue Little League All-Stars has better players and means more than the for-profit tournaments.

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not even close and the good kids you see playing LL are playing travel, usually majors level. like the last 2 from LA to make LLWS...that was all travel kids, mainly renegades black for the nola team and apex red sox for the lafayette team.


i do find it funny 99% of TD that complains about travel doesnt have kids or is not involved in it at all.

literally no clue

like the thinking kids dont play other sports, dont go to camps or its like rec. Yall go watch AA ball and think thats what travel ball is lol.

granted by 12, if you are still playing AA ball...yea got a point, might be time to give it up

but bottomline....in Louisiana, if you want to make a 3a or high baseball team that is worth a frick...yea better be playing high level aaa or majors ball.

good luck making barbe, sulphur, sam houston, st louis, WM, catholic, jesuit, BM, Rummel, Live Oak, Zachary, St Amant, Notre Dame, STM, Tuerlings etc while just playing rec ball. be laughed off the field at tryouts

texas is different, the big texas schools keeping 75-100 on the team overall and 25-30 freshman. I wish LA was like that, but it isnt nor do we have the resources for it. the big texas schools have 2 or 3 fields so JV and freshman have their own for practice.


as far as it being a money grab, only people making real money off it are the tournament directors and the local towns

as far as sulphur...they have the money from the industrial base. but their parks suck compared to youngsville, bruossard and especially ruston.

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Depends on the age. I have seen kids in the 10-12 range that run circles around everyone in the league to later find out they didn’t make their high school varsity team. Some kids develop early and turns out that is their peek.

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Yea that's true. You're right.

My older boy is 11 and has had such a grow spurt he looks awkward and throws gangly.

I'm about 6'4" and he looks to be on pace with my older brother who is taller.

He kind of reminds me of a spastic chicken sometimes out in RF. I could see that changing as he grows into himself.

Good point

It happened here south of Birmingham hard. I don't know how anyone intends to correct it. Leagues like Hoover actually facilitate it.

Hoover rec 6u girls will stay together, during the season they start a CPL team. Then they become the all star team. After one season of that in 8u they become a travel team. If they are good enough they work up through the org.

All the good kids and all the good coaches are completely gone from rec around here. Parents that want their kids to get better coaching have no where to go but travel.

There are 12 8u girls travel teams within Birmingham metro.

They take the stereotypes, which are pretty accurate on a certain percentage of travel ball people, and expound it upon every single person who lets their kid play travel ball. Like there in no way a normal person with a functioning brain can let their kid participate in travel ball without donning a wife beater, getting a tribal tat and beating the frick out of his 8 year old's opposing coach. It's pretty funny.


In reality there are normal kids with normal names from normal families who play travel ball, are good at it, enjoy it, and also participate in numerous other activities. It can be done.

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Ehh...depends on the kid. I've seen a lot of kids that were grown arse men at 12-13 that were dominating in travel ball that are average at best now. Keep in mind there are lots of Division 2 and Juco teams out there. Not every kid is D1 material and I think most parents are realistic about that(at least I am). That said, if my son wants to keep playing and is driven to do so, I'm going to help him in any way I can. We did the travel ball thing until 14u and then he started playing for his high school. Our kids go to a small private school so he has started since being a freshman. Could he start at a large public school? Maybe. Maybe not. He's continuing to develop and grow and I'm happy about that.

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yea they do, but at some point you kind of know. but im good with them keeping playing travel as there is no rec leagues in 90% of the country past 12 and i love kids being active

i also think the current setup is great for rec kids and travel kids alike. rec kids get to play positions and get playing time they otherwise wouldnt. the travel kids get to play kids of equal talents (AA, AAA and majors)

you get to make lifelong friends across the state, get to play a game you love etc

it aint for everyone and niether is baseball

only ones bitching about it or those not involved in it. ironic isnt it?

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My kid plays.

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what's Prominaxtyn's exit velocity these day?