re: Little League Baseball Really is the Worst. What Happened?

I’ve been coaching our travel team since 5U Teeball. They are playing high intensity 7U now. These boys have molded together like no one would believe. I hosted the bi-annual parent/coach dinner @ 2Johns steak & Seafood in bossier city, LA yesterday night. We all agreed 6 out of 10 kids have an unbelievable shot at going D1. If they don’t go D1 or D2, I’ll eat my words. #NeverQuit.

#TravelBallHeadquarters

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Most of this jealous posters are talking out of their arse and have no skins on the wall. Their kid was cut and they blame it on "politics" They never experienced the pride of watching their son drop the griddy from 3rd to home while trotting out a Dinger. They can't afford to build an addition to their home for their kids rings and trophies, so they cast aspersions on those of us with many skins on the wall.

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Actually, it’s this kind of douchebaggery that is responsible for your ridicule. Even South Park had an episode on it.

I’ll let my kids stick to soccer. Way less pretentious, and we don’t wear gay little uniforms.

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Tiger Ryno

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Talk to your kid about what he sees on the field. Ask him his thoughts on sportsmanship after the game (both the parents' and the kids' behavior). The best ways to learn life lessons are seeing and doing. He most likely knows what acting like a douche is.

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There’s no hope… we played Newman last weekend and there was a bang bang play at the plate and the Newman coach looked like a douche when he went to go argue it… you’re Newman, you’re the rich kid school, you should have a coach that’s better than that. It’s February, the season just started

When Newman has a coach who acts like that think how trashy everyone else in the state must be

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They never experienced the pride of watching their son drop the griddy from 3rd to home

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My son did this scoring from second on a double in a scrimmage this past weekend. It earned him a lap and ten push-ups from his coach. The lesson was humility and sportsmanship. Save that shite for the dugout.

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It feels like around 10-15 years ago the travel baseball folks were let in on the grift that is competitive cheer and turned their model into that. Expensive events out of town where there's a constant need for new alternate uniforms and more and more expensive training sessions for little Braxton, Kolton, Jaxton and Kannon, just like there is for Kayleigh, Breighleigh, Ryeleigh.

It kind of makes sense that the cheer mom and travel baseball dad have molded into almost the same person.

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It's been at least 15 yrs since travel ball took off and never looked back. I recall kids playing league ball so that their dads (coaches) could gain access to league facilities (new fields/cages/lights) for travel ball practices, all paid for by the City.

It was common to stack the teams with travel ball players, and then when league all-stars rolled around, they'd bow out and couldn't participate because they had to travel to the World Series in Pace, Florida.

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My older boys also stopped playing before high school because they just didn’t enjoy it anymore and it was just too boring for them.

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aka they are unathletic nerds like their dad

I'd like to think that I am a normal baseball dad. My kid showed ability above what rec could offer and we were asked to play on a travel team. So we did and he has enjoyed it, made great friends, and has built confidence in his abilities.

He has now been encouraged to try out for the travel type league sponsored soccer team so we are doing that too. Rec soccer was worse than baseball as far as talent and coaching.

He plays rec flag football and we play golf. His grades are great but if sports were to interfere, he knows we would stop to focus on school.

We had a split with some parents in baseball because they thought their kids were too good and shouldn't play a different spot that SS/2B. We've now hit kid pitch and their kids cannot play a different position. It all works out.

Travel sports can be great. I wish rec leagues were at a place that we didnt have to pay to play travel but they arent. We have enjoyed it and are not "crazy" parents. If mine said tomorrow, "I want to play trumpet in the band" then off to trumpet lessons we go.

My dad is a boomer and said when he played little league, the parents didn’t even come to the games. It was all about the kids, by the kids, for the kids. Even their “coach” was another kid just a few years older. Good times.