re: "Not Good Enough" Documentary about youth sports

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but my youngest is legit DII/DIII talented

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It’ll be interesting to see how the kids who’ve been under pressure since they were kids…perform when they get in big situations once older.

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i mean it makes you better if youve "got what it takes" and is worth it

but thats the 1%

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he also plays on a 7U select team

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I would argue that if there is a select team for a 7 year old, then you may be part of the problem. This truly is insane.

It's only "select" under current definitions (re: monthly dues, more intensive practice and paid tournaments); we didn't have to "tryout" and there is a kid on the team this is his first time playing ball.

We have played in two leagues around our area and you should honestly see the competition - my son isn't learning anything from our local little league or the league we're in right now.

To put it in perspective, our current team is 6-0 and we've scored 78 runs and only had 15 scored on us; he's not learning to lose with grace nor the fundamentals.

I'm annoyed that kids can't be kids anymore. Growing up fall was for football, winter for basketball and spring summer was for baseball. Kids learned all 3 sports and got different skills from each one.

High school sports is a job at this point. Kids put enough pressure on themselves to get to the next level. It pisses me off that parents put pressure on kids before they are 16-17.

They don't realize either but a lot of those kids will resent the sport and their parents when they get older.

Also most of these parents weren't good enough when they were high schoolers. So they project their "lack of effort to be good enough" onto their kids. Most former high level players wish travel ball would cool down. There just is no alternative unfortunately.

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People without kids in the last 15 years “shite on travel ball” but they have no clue what “travel ball” even is anymore. I ignorantly used to be in this group

Local rec leagues are horrific now. Pathetic. It’s a waste of money and time. Most modern “travel ball” trans don’t travel

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this

people shite on travel ball but if you get with a great org it can be a great experience. IMO kids should be playing multiple sports and dads shouldnt coach. fall should be about training, not really situations and only play 1 or 2 tournaments. Should be bat speed, long toss and strength training even at young ages. in spring/summer, play about every other weekend from march until end of june. the trying to play 100 games a year is insane, especially after 8.

as far as travel at 7...you highlighted the problem. if everyone played together in rec with no travel...you would have teams in coach pitch where some kids are throwing 50mph and hitting the ball with 50+ exit velo playing with kids that literally cant throw from 3rd to first and can not catch at all and only out there cause mom and dad are making them.

so what ends up happening, atleast in LA, is the tball all star kids leave and go play travel cause they dont want to play with kids that its literally dangerous to play with. In texas they just start travel at 6u.

Its unfortunate its like this and i get the whole barrier to entry thing but most teams will work with you with fundraisers etc

in the end no matter how good your kid is, you need to remember that grades and being a good person is way way more important. chase success in all things in life and strive to be the best. if your kid wants to be good at youth sports, tell him he has to out work the competition.

i will say its crazy some of these parents continue to put their kid in travel when they have no desire to do lessons or work on their own. My oldest was like this and had to have a talk with him. he liked being a part of the travel team and liked team practice but he wasnt willing to work hard at all outside of practice because he liked the idea alot more than actually playing the sport. finally got him to understand that not being a baseball team didnt define him and he needed to embrace the sports he really liked. Turned out to be a great decision for him that i led him too but he made himself.

now my youngest two...is there a secret to get them to not like baseball so much and not liking to work so hard cause this shite is exhausting now with 2 in it. between the 3 boys and MS football, flag football, baseball, lessons, MS basketball, MS track.......Im exhausted!!!

We've done rec baseball and basketball for years now. I coach both sports. We have fun and I'm not overly serious except on fundamentals. I'm a stickler on that. Some parents have asked their kids be drafted the next year by another coach as the rec tries tonkeep kids together as they feel I don't want to win enough...

We do ok and usually come in second place. Some of those same parents have come back and asked their kid to be back on the team cause I don't yell and scream the whole time. Some of these kids home lives are so shite they don't need me making them feel like shite. I've had to tell some parents to leave the field. They get out of control. One came on the field to chew out his kid playing first. He was 9.

Effort and attention is all I ask.

This year we've started rec football and it's been insane. Lucky to have coaches who have college ball experience. They are excellent and positive. That said there are not many rec teams besides these balls to the wall travel type teams who have their own equipment trailer and parents with megaphone yelling the whole time from the sidelines.

Last game the other teams parents got into a fight and the cops had to come. There are not many other football teams beside these type to play. In 4 games 3 have been teams that were supposed to be 12U. Lol. Some of these kids are as big as me and have beards and neck tats.

I don't guess it's very well policed.

I think we've sort of outgrown sports, as a society. We can't go back to the way youth sports were, or the way college football was, or the way the NFL was when non-idiots watched it.

You can blame capitalism, but honestly that's kind of like blaming a dog for eating that shoulder roast you left on the floor. We tolerated the bullshite all along the way, from Monday Night Football to "Plan B" free agency to the Bowl Alliance to NIL... to this nightmare.