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Started By
Message
Tournament Baseball is a scam
Posted on 1/10/09 at 1:20 am
Posted on 1/10/09 at 1:20 am
I recently had an area baseball coach contact me and ask if my son would try out for his 12 year old tournament team. He said they only play about 6 tournaments in the BR area during the summer. This sounded good to me. I think kids playing 90 games during the summer is ridiculous. My son "makes the team" and then the coach hits me with the $2,000 to be on the team fee. I told him to forget it.
After looking around I found that local Little League teams are drying up because parents are spending this kind of money to put their kid on a "travel team".
To me this seems to be a new business that targets parents who all think their kid will play shortstop for the New York Yankees someday.
Who knew it cost so much to be able to brag about your kid?
After looking around I found that local Little League teams are drying up because parents are spending this kind of money to put their kid on a "travel team".
To me this seems to be a new business that targets parents who all think their kid will play shortstop for the New York Yankees someday.
Who knew it cost so much to be able to brag about your kid?
12
Posted on 1/10/09 at 1:24 am to mametoo
My nephew is on one of the top teams in the state and all he had to do was buy his uniforms and pay for his hotels last year. This year they got hooked up with Bingo and won't pay for shite. Sounds like your kid just got picked by the wrong team.
Posted on 1/10/09 at 1:28 am to JJ27
JJ
How old is he, how many games does he play, do they do fund raisers?
How old is he, how many games does he play, do they do fund raisers?
Posted on 1/10/09 at 1:35 am to mametoo
They'll play 10 year old this year. They played 13 tournaments last year, winning the state championship. My aunt and uncle have to work at the Bingo hall 2-4 times a week, every week. They recently sent the entire team to LA Tech camp at no charge and will be taking care of all of their financial needs this year from Bingo. My nephew's the 3rd from the left on the bottom row.
This post was edited on 1/10/09 at 1:36 am
Posted on 1/10/09 at 1:39 am to JJ27
BTW, I have a large influence on his athletics. I help coach his baseball and football. I told my aunt this would be best for him, eventhough I wouldn't be able to help out, because of the great coaching he would receive. Tim O'Neal's son plays on the team and he's one of their coaches. Tim's the head coach at Neville now, but really did a great job at Ruston a while back. Having him coach Slade from a young age should really help to eliminate any bad habits he has imo. Should do nothing but help him.
Posted on 1/10/09 at 1:40 am to mametoo
everything associated with youth baseball is a scam.
The scam is that people are being told that this is what it takes to make it to the top.
horseshite!
If you can tell me Dominican kids right now, who are playing with milk cartons for gloves and rolled up yarn for balls, are paying 2g to play on "traveling" teams then I'll say there's something to it.
Junior sports in almost all regards is a money making scam in one way or another.
The scam is that people are being told that this is what it takes to make it to the top.
horseshite!
If you can tell me Dominican kids right now, who are playing with milk cartons for gloves and rolled up yarn for balls, are paying 2g to play on "traveling" teams then I'll say there's something to it.
Junior sports in almost all regards is a money making scam in one way or another.
Posted on 1/10/09 at 1:46 am to LfcSU3520
To a certain extent you're right. Some kids flat out aren't going to even make their high school team, much less the pros. If your kid had legit talent though, wouldn't you rather they be instructed by professionals instead of Dixie coaches that don't know what they are talking about? His coach this year didn't even teach them how to bunt. Not a single pitch ever at practice about how to bunt...really? There were so many times they would have runners on with no outs only to not score a single run. God that was frustrating to watch.
BTW, I didn't help coach this year because I was in Texas when his season began.
BTW, I didn't help coach this year because I was in Texas when his season began.
Posted on 1/10/09 at 2:07 am to LfcSU3520
quote:
The scam is that people are being told that this is what it takes to make it to the top.
I agree.
Making it to the top in athletics is such a long shot. I'm not saying don't tell a kid to dream big, but don't take a second mortgage because a high school coach tells you your kid has a lot of talent. This is just a sales tactic. MLB spends millions hiring the best talent evaluators to scout the best 18-22 year old talent in the world and only about 50% of the first round picks get to the big leagues.
Some of the youth coaches have the kids best interest at heart, but there are an increasing number in it for the money.
Also, tournament baseball is not real baseball. Watching teams steal, bunt, and steal signs when they are winning by 15 is painful to watch. This type of baseball is taught by people that never reached a level where there is an answer for this...a high hard one. They will never have to change though because you can't have a kid drill another kid.
Posted on 1/10/09 at 2:10 am to mametoo
being good at baseball, in the pros eyes, boils down to - can you hit, throw, run?
and as a pitcher- how good is your arm and do you have command
a lot of those things can be taught in your basement hitting area by hard work
playing competitive baseball as a kid doesn't hurt, but it's not the end of the world
and as a pitcher- how good is your arm and do you have command
a lot of those things can be taught in your basement hitting area by hard work
playing competitive baseball as a kid doesn't hurt, but it's not the end of the world
Posted on 1/10/09 at 2:11 am to LfcSU3520
wtf do you know about baseball
it cost me $200,000 to get my ozzie smith glove fitted
it cost me $200,000 to get my ozzie smith glove fitted
Posted on 1/10/09 at 2:23 am to ThePoo
quote:
it cost me $200,000 to get my ozzie smith glove fitted
Posted on 1/10/09 at 3:41 am to mametoo
This reminds me of the teams that coaches throw their "aces" 75 pitches a game. There is no reason a 12 year old kid should be throwing anywhere over 55.
This post was edited on 1/10/09 at 3:45 am
Posted on 1/10/09 at 3:50 am to LST
Whatever happened to playing organized baseball with your friends and just having fun?
Posted on 1/10/09 at 4:40 am to neweuquol
quote:
Whatever happened to playing organized baseball with your friends and just having fun?
I wish that every American kid (12U) who wants to play baseball could without parents having to shellout $$$$. And those fundraisers are usually nothing more than teaching your kids how to beg for money.
Posted on 1/10/09 at 6:38 am to JJ27
quote:
all he had to do was buy his uniforms and pay for his hotels last year. This year they got hooked up with Bingo and won't pay for shite.
quote:
My aunt and uncle have to work at the Bingo hall 2-4 times a week, every week.
Spending 4 nights a week at Bingo every week is a huge fricking cost, IMHO, FWIW, TWSS, etc, etc
Posted on 1/10/09 at 6:39 am to mametoo
quote:
I recently had an area baseball coach contact me and ask if my son would try out for his 12 year old tournament team. He said they only play about 6 tournaments in the BR area during the summer. This sounded good to me. I think kids playing 90 games during the summer is ridiculous. My son "makes the team" and then the coach hits me with the $2,000 to be on the team fee. I told him to forget it.
After looking around I found that local Little League teams are drying up because parents are spending this kind of money to put their kid on a "travel team".
To me this seems to be a new business that targets parents who all think their kid will play shortstop for the New York Yankees someday.
Who knew it cost so much to be able to brag about your kid?
pfftt...what the hell do you know about baseball?
Posted on 1/10/09 at 8:18 am to SPEEDY
As the saying goes..."There's a Sucker Born Every Minute". Parents may have the best intentions but unless they realy know how certain sports are run and organized they get caught up in it all.
Playing 60+ games over the summer might be a good way so a kid plays against better competition, but I've seen a lot of kids get burnt out going into HS and are not interested in it any more. Kind of defeats the purpose. Also the best teams to get on from a financial stand point are those teams that have a big time sponsor(s) who fork out everything from uniforms, tournament fees, hotels, etc. and the parents might have to pay very little if nothing at all.
What I would want to know from a coach's point of view as well as the parents is why is this team being put together in the first place. Everybody has different agendas. Not always, but if a coach has his son on a team that tells you a lot right there. Most of these coaches are not staying with the same age group year-in and year-out....wonder why?
Playing 60+ games over the summer might be a good way so a kid plays against better competition, but I've seen a lot of kids get burnt out going into HS and are not interested in it any more. Kind of defeats the purpose. Also the best teams to get on from a financial stand point are those teams that have a big time sponsor(s) who fork out everything from uniforms, tournament fees, hotels, etc. and the parents might have to pay very little if nothing at all.
What I would want to know from a coach's point of view as well as the parents is why is this team being put together in the first place. Everybody has different agendas. Not always, but if a coach has his son on a team that tells you a lot right there. Most of these coaches are not staying with the same age group year-in and year-out....wonder why?
Posted on 1/10/09 at 8:28 am to mametoo
quote:
I recently had an area baseball coach contact me and ask if my son would try out for his 12 year old tournament team. He said they only play about 6 tournaments in the BR area during the summer. This sounded good to me. I think kids playing 90 games during the summer is ridiculous. My son "makes the team" and then the coach hits me with the $2,000 to be on the team fee. I told him to forget it.
After looking around I found that local Little League teams are drying up because parents are spending this kind of money to put their kid on a "travel team".
I'm not a parent, so I just don't know....but are there 'more' fees included with this for travel expenses? Is this it? If so, it would seem to me like this might be a deal. My brother spends a lot more money per summer to send his kids away to camp kookamonga or camp suckyomamma up in michigan or north carolina.
This baseball league sounds like a deal.
plus they're getting excersize and not sitting in front of a PS3 all summer.
Again, I'm not a parent, I could be totally wrong. I know that if I were a parent, Itd be worth $2K to get my kids out of the house for most of the days throughout the summer, but thats just me.
This post was edited on 1/10/09 at 8:36 am
Posted on 1/10/09 at 8:31 am to ToplessTenors4evuh
Your drunk arse is up rather early.
Posted on 1/10/09 at 8:32 am to reddman
i know its a travesty.
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