It just doesn't seem right that I live in a place where kids can't dream about this:
Posted on 06/01/2014 10:50:23 PM PDT by FlJoePa
Personally, I don't have much time for the Cal Ripkens of the world that profit on the backs of easily sold parents while shunning Little League. Little League isn't perfect, but travel baseball is like a smaller, whiter AAU basketball in some ways.
I understand the need for travel teams (we don't even have Little League where I live), but I wish it wouldn't start until age 13 so that kids could (have to) play with their neighbors and classmates in Little League. That's how you make friends and teammates.
Friday will mark the 75th anniversary of the first ever Little League game in Williamsport. Carl Stotz just wanted to help some kids. He was at odds with LLB for years over their commercialization, but made amends before his death.
What he would think of travel ball, no one really knows. I would think that he would say someone took their eye off the ball at some point.
Semi related:
I couldn’t say who started it...but I’m guessing they eventually fed off each other... Seems like everyone I know with kids between 12-18 that play softball or baseball or does band or cheerleading is “going to nationals.”
Just how many national tournaments are there? Is this part of the everyone-gets-a-medal mentality or crass money making? Both I think.
I’m sure the organizers would maintain that the LL World Series shouldn’t have a monopoly on deciding who is the best etc etc...but how long until resumes and college applications hit the round file as soon as the phrase “went to nationals” shows up. I think we’re well on our way to that already. Like that Twilight Zone episode where the gold thieves put themselves to sleep for a hundred years and wake up in a world where gold is practically worthless
It just doesn't seem right that I live in a place where kids can't dream about this:
What crappy parents. What kid wouldn’t want to stay and play with their friends? Instead a greedy parent pushes the road and no ties lifestyle on a child. Pathetic.
This makes me think of the South Park episode where all the little league teams were trying to lose on purpose so that they didn’t have to play any more.
My kids are all under six so I don’t have this problem yet, but I do want them involved in something. My beef is the mandatory crap that they now have with youth sports. I know people that don’t go on vacation because of mandatory practices or games. And family dinner every evening? Try dad takes a kid to volleyball and they get Wendy’s while mom tales the other two to soccer and they get McDonald’s.
That is exactly the way it happens. And it starts at about age 7 now too. The typical conversation you hear among parents at a kid's game is about how they are going to get all their various kids to all their games that weekend.
Oh, and "playdates" aka, spending a weekend afternoon at a friend's house just having fun. Almost non-existent. Can't find anyone available. Everyone has a game or is traveling. You have children playing games half way across the country. Really?
Youth sports has become completely toxic.
Really? A child can't make friends with the other children on a travel team? Odd.
What I find disheartening is the majority of kids who play travel ball are “forced” to by their daddy who dreamed of playing baseball but failed. They want to live vicariously through their child. They push their kids like sled dogs.
The greedy parent does all this so he can wear the gear of the travel team around town and brag how his kid plays “elite” sports. I see it all the time. The dad is always a Walter Mitty type who never played ball himself.
This year marks the first time since 2010 neither of my 2 boys is playing baseball. Oldest one is in the Autism spectrum, and our town has no way for him to play without actually competing (he can’t handle the concept of winning and losing.)
My other son, our middle child, is more into hockey anyway...and last year, for his age group (7-8 yr olds), ensured his kid’s team had all the “best” players (of course), to make sure his kid would be in the league champion team.
This year, all the kids from that team are in the “travel” team. So, this year, my middle dude is exclusively in hockey (which, as they start full-ice this year, is going to entail enough travel already.)
I am not a parent and don’t know anything about autism, but I do know most Little Leagues have a Challenger division. That may be something worth looking into.
My son has played travel baseball for the last 5 or 6 years. We've played in tournaments at the Ripken sites in both Maryland and SC. They are EXTREMELY well run and have always been an extremely positive experience for all the boys (and, no, we've never come close to actually winning one of the tournaments).
Clearly, nether you nor the (no doubt) lib writer of this piece have a clue. You're both taking the most extreme negative stereotypes and applying them universally. In short, you both have no idea what you're talking about - and its hilarious. Hilariously sad, but still hilarious.
I'm laughing at you right now.
Hard.
Really hard.
When we were in SoCal, our local league did have a Challenge team...my son played.
Then we moved to Wisconsin, and nada. Just as well, he’s developing into a singer instead.
The league here is full of lunatic parents living through their five year olds. You should see a tball game! It is the craziest thing I have seen in youth sports. They have All Stars for tball. They pay $200 to be on the all star team. The parents then have to pay gate entry fees at every park during tournaments. To watch tball. The fees are set by Cal Ripkin organization at $6 per person over 10. So for a family with just two adults attending a three day tball tournament , that is $36. Typically, they will play in five tournaments during the summer. They have to travel to most tournaments and pay for hotels and food. They practice at least four times a week. TBALL!!!
And I thought we were crazy when we started travel ball with a ten year old! (That was eight years ago. Two of the players from our team back then have scholarships to play at DivI schools. I think everyone else from that team burned out, injured themselves, or lost interest.)
A big problem I see in youth sports is that Sunday is not respected as a day for church attendance. We have certainly been guilty of skipping church in favor of baseball games. It was wrong.
I guess you missed the whole, change uniform from year go year thing. No way any real friendship can be built like that
My nephew is an a excellent ballplayer. (Just got a full ride scholarship to the college of his choice to play ball). He plays first base and pitches.
He’s played travel ball since he was about 8. Lots and lots of practices and games and weekend tournaments.
He fortunately still enjoys the game but I believe he has lost out on much of his childhood. For example, his dad wouldn’t let him climb trees for fear he’d hurt his throwing arm.
But the biggest loss is his relationship with his non-immediate family. Everything in his life revolves around baseball, so much so that he is almost a stranger to his grandparents and cousins (and to me).
What are our children going to be like as adults when we teach them that the game is more important than anything else in their lives? If family doesn’t count? If their relationship with the Lord is less important than their ERA?
My nephew (so far) appears to still have a level head on his shoulders but I’ve already seen some of his team mates descend into the spoiled prima donna mind set. These kids believe that they are the sole reason for existence and several of them have already been in trouble with drugs and the law.
Travel ball is OK, BUT it must be kept in perspective and very few it seems manage to keep the correct perspective.
Nothing wrong with kids playing sports, but it shouldn’t consume their lives, lest they wind up like Todd Marinovich, unable to handle the real world.
little league ends at 12 this starts at 13.
“I guess you missed the whole, change uniform from year go year thing. No way any real friendship can be built like that.”
Do you actually have any experience with children on a travel team? Do you think that every year the roster is completely new and parents don’t make an effort to keep their children on the same teams?
It really sounds as though you read the article and taking every negative thing as the only truth.
the author’s kid will likely be a fine D2 or D3 player, and there is absolutely no shame in a kid wanting to do as the author states.
Some kids want more.
My daughter receieved a full ride to an out of state D1 school in lacrosse. With her injury red shirt season, the school in question paid for 5 years, she walked away with her Masters degree in addition to her undergrad. And a semester abroad.
Kind of puts the 2K a year for 5 or 6 years in a different perspective.
I’d be willing to wager that Penn State’s baseball team is almost entirely populated with travel league players. That’s how the kids get exposure to the college coaches, by playing those big tournies.
And I’d love to know what the gratuitous shot at Cal Ripken was all about.
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