re: Kirk Herbstreit slams Travel Ball culture

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If you want to hold kids in your rec league as long as possible, which will enable your kid to stay in rec as long as possible, I strongly recommend you reconsider coaching that team or find someone else willing to do it. That hybrid select/rec model is the best that I’ve seen for retaining talent at the rec level for as long as possible. Without it, I promise you will see your league absolutely hemorrhage talent by 9u, and at that point, you will start to feel pressure to put your kid in travel in order for him to continue developing. Just because a team does travel ball, that doesn’t mean that you have to do a tournament every other weekend. In fact, most parents don’t want that, even the ones who put their kids in travel ball. The point of these hybrid teams is to offer a middle space where kids stay in rec and get all of the benefits that come with that while simultaneously getting practice reps and a few tournaments with the better players. It’s the best model that I’ve seen given the current crazy system we are in

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I wish mandeville offered the hybrid system like south shore and Madisonville does

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We all played at my 2A and oh my God some kids were barley able... but I'm thinking it made everyone better people.

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100%. The beauty of high school sports is that it’s one of the only times in your life that you get to play for something bigger than yourself, just like Little League or Dixie All Stars. It’s a shame we’ve taken that from so many kids with these massive schools. Travel ball can’t replicate what you get playing with your classmates representing your school. Want to know why so many of today’s athletes hop in the transfer portal at the first sign of adversity? It’s because that’s what travel ball is like. We never taught them to be loyal to anything.

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We're the same way. However, BR sports culture is absurd here. My 10 year old, when he was 5, played on a basketball team with other 5 year olds (kindergarten). He was cut the next year, from his team. I shite you not. Keep in mind, that this team also expanded to form 2 teams, and even though he was on the team last year, the a-hole coaches cut him because they were trying to build a super team....at 6 years old. I still see these people at school and it still pisses me off.

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so if better kids try out...they should keep your kid even though he isnt as good?

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My 10 year old is the same. Has started playing drums, and loves anything to do with engineering. We have been subscribed to crunchlabs which is a monthly build kit where they teach you how to build mechanical things, and then teaches you why it works. He plays baseball for a rec league type place and we love it there. The hyper-competitive assholes at travel, for the most part, aren't there. However, those teams have creaped into my 7 year olds league. Played against a team that hit 5 over the fence home runs....in coaches pitch. We found out that A) the kids were 1-2 years older than our kids and b) they play travel tournaments (at 7 ) and signed up for this league "for the reps". My 7 year old has a great imagination and we just don't think our kids, or any kids for that matter, needs to have their ridiculous parents put that much pressure on kids sports, and are of the mind to let the kids be kids.

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your kid likes drums and engineering....why are you getting mad that kids are better than him at baseball are playing in the same league? why are you mad because some of the kids are "too good"? too good at 7? jesus you sound like a pussy. Should the league ban kids because they hit it over?

would you get mad if he wanted to go to a music competition and some of the kids are better at drums than him? its the same thing. Would you want the competition to not allow kids that are too good to compete? would you say...those parents are putting an unhealthy amount of pressure on that kid


what if i said you are putting an unhealthy emphasis on crunchlans and engineering?

you get my point? your kid loves engineering and crunchlabs and mechanical aptitude things. He prolly loves practicing it. For many kids baseball is no different.

and some kids like both baseball and engineering/math and are good at both. I know shocking isnt it?

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My buddy has a daughter that is a very good softball player. Unfortunately we rarely hang out anymore because literally all he talks about is her. His families entire existence revolves around her. He’s got two other younger kids I doubt he ever talks to because he and his wife focuses on the softball player. At some point there will be studies that will evaluate the mental stability of some of these parents and how it affects the kids.

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so your contention is he is too involved as a parent

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I wish mandeville offered the hybrid system like south shore and Madisonville does

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Go create it. These teams are almost always dad-coached. Go to the league and tell them you would like free field space for a select team to practice, and in exchange, 80% of the members of that select team will remain enrolled in their league. That’s how the model works. The league trades free field space for enrollment. If they aren’t doing it currently, I don’t see how they’re retaining any of their talent past the 9U level, and they would likely be willing to entertain the idea at this point. But it’s going to take a dad or a group of dads to build it up and make it work.

The rec leagues often control the field space, and at this point that’s the last card they have to play. They should use it to improve the league rather than just watch it wither and die.

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I feel like it’s the moms who really fuel this shite. Why?

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This right here. My kid is going to be playing his first year this fall. Thats something I have noticed.

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I have two in it and yea we have to split. when the oldest has an event his takes precedent over the younger twos travel ball too. but that is the just the nature of having multiple kids.

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It is now. It didn’t used to be.

20 years ago Johnny would have a game at 10 at the local ballpark. Mom and dad would take the kids to Pizza Hut for lunch then come back at 130 for jimmys game and then that evening they would be home and the kids running around the neighborhood playing with friends.


Now mom is driving back and forth to Lafayette and at the ballpark with Johnny all weekend and Dad is going back and forth to the northshore all weekend with Jimmy.



Who knows what happens if they a little Jerry comes…backyard tryout?


I say this because that’s unfortunately the reality nowadays.

You have to make a decision about dedication to a sport WAY before the kid should have to make it and then it affects everyone. But if you don’t then you are limiting their skill and development. Tough spot

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100%. many people on here are screaming about giving up their weekends. For the OT that means having to give up going to the hunting camp and drinking beer during the fall and spring.

Sorry you may have to not attend 1 lsu home game and have to watch on your phone so your kid can pursue his passion


and look if your kid isnt passionate about baseball or any sport...certainly dont put them in travel. but if it is and you can afford it...dont be a selfish a-hole dad who holds them back so that you can drink beer on the couch.

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That's a little different than what some people are doing. There are absolutely people out there ramming their kids through travel league with hopes and dreams of a big league paycheck one day.

Having been blessed (cursed?) enough to play high school ball with people who ended up being decorated professional athletes, I can confidently say if your kid is THAT good, they're going to get found and they're going to get paid, barring career ending injury. It'd be in your best interest if they didn't play much of anything at all till college.

Kids who are true professional tier athletes are so far above and beyond everybody else that they can't be missed. All that BS about hard work and effort and all that is just that, BS. The athletes that I went to school with were going to the MLB draft or D1 football full rides with near zero effort.

So, go and have fun if travel ball is fun. Your kid is either professional material or he isn't, and that was determined when they were conceived, not when they made the roster for some elite travel squad.

Travel ball is killing the school teams. It seams like HS coaches are seeing a drop in abilities but a rise in walk up songs.

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It is now. It didn’t used to be.

20 years ago Johnny would have a game at 10 at the local ballpark. Mom and dad would take the kids to Pizza Hut for lunch then come back at 130 for jimmys game and then that evening they would be home and the kids running around the neighborhood playing with friends.


Now mom is driving back and forth to Lafayette and at the ballpark with Johnny all weekend and Dad is going back and forth to the northshore all weekend with Jimmy.



Who knows what happens if they a little Jerry comes…backyard tryout?


I say this because that’s unfortunately the reality nowadays.

You have to make a decision about dedication to a sport WAY before the kid should have to make it and then it affects everyone. But if you don’t then you are limiting their skill and development. Tough spot

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i live it, i know.

and 20 years ago you could make your local HS team playing rec league and you had plenty of coaches and coaches that actually knew wtf they were doing and dads that would go practice with their kid 4-5x per week

but even then, i specifically remember my parents having to split on week days to get my sister to dance and my dad to my game to coach. this was 30 years ago, so lets not act like this is some new thing

or tball was at one field across town and kid pitch at another park

not even mentioning all stars. or if a girl plays softball or has a dance recital or did swimming or had a music recital or did gymnastics etc

parents for the most part have always had to split. sure your scenario happened but lets not act like johnny and hit brother never had games at the same time and at different parks across town


and as far as running the neighborhood....kids dont do that very much. sure in certain sub divisions they still do but not like kids did in the 80s and 90s. Culture changed and too many inside options now.

and like travel culture...you arent putting the genie back in the bottle no matter how hard you try or how much you bitch.