re: Travel ball is getting a lot less crowded for little Jaxson and Brayden

I don't disagree. The rec leagues need to step up, though. The kids are interested in "bling" and "drip"...unfortunately. The rec leagues are monotonous and have very little reward. A happy medium should exist, where kids are attracted to the local rec leagues by some bling and drip and more competitive tournament-like atmospheres but also not to the point that they are rewarded for every win and burned out. I don't feel like rec leagues have made any effort to keep up.

Travel ball is not new as a means of additional reps/experience. It's been around since at least the late 80s and early 90s. It took over when the travel ball organizations made a more appealing model to the kids. Aside from participation numbers being down some, it's alive and well from a volume standpoint. Fewer kids may be playing (slightly) but it's becoming more of a full time gig. People are brainwashed. And, high schools are now fully buying into it as a pipeline, so it will be very hard to break the cycle.

In my opinion, alot of these travel ball teams and organizations are thieves. The money put out just doesn't add up.

I could write a book on it.