| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
gpawwarrior
74 Posts |
 Posted - 06/19/2014 : 10:29:01
|
| I would say NO. With budgets around $20,000 to $30,000 per team and above, Bats $200 to $400 Gloves $100 to $200, shoes $75 to $150 , plus whatever else these kids need. This is an expensive way of life. Meant for upper middle class and rich. What about the other boys who's family is not so well off. Are we leaving them out???? |
|
|
bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2014 : 11:51:12
|
I'm sure there will be lots of opinions and comments about this. Here is a link to another thread on this site where the same question was addressed. May want to look thru it. gpawwarrior, you're not the only one who feels this way. There are comments on both side of the issue and alternatives to travel ball suggested.
http://www.nwgabaseball.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=29997
|
 |
|
|
bballguy
224 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2014 : 12:00:07
|
| Yes |
|
|
|
nastycurve
244 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2014 : 13:25:56
|
There are a lot of different fits for families. Not everyone has 4 mlb jerseys.3 hats and pairs of pants. Not every team travels to numerous states to play baseball. As is everything in America, the more money you throw at it, the more chance you have at being successful. I spoke to a coach of an older Astros team and he told me, if we play a team and their pitcher beats us, next week, he plays for us, no matter what. Nothing gets in the way, costs, distance etc.
Boils down to if you have it, you play high end travel ball. If you dont but you have high end talent, someone else will pay for you to play high end travel ball. |
|
|
|
WPB Baseball
200 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2014 : 15:09:51
|
99% of these kids will not make D1 college ball or close to MLB money (minor or major) in this sport. If your son has the talent to play high level ball at just about any age, a coach will find a way to make the money work. If not, there are alternatives if you don't have the money (and it costs a lot and will only cost more as we move on).
That being said, you can fund raise to divert the costs however you see fit and your time allows. A lot of these kids are being groomed like they may be the next Kershaw or more recent local kid going to the "World Series Champion Red Sox", (Michael Chavis). The reality is that they should play where it makes "real sense" for the kid and the parents. Play at a place you can afford and where your kid will "actually" play. If your kid is playing most of the time and your team is competitive, parents and coaches for most part make it work within their budgets. If you are being asked to pay more than you can afford and your son is watching more games than playing in them, you should look elsewhere. A good time to find that out is in the Fall or if you are a pick up player in games here and there. Players that pickup with other teams give the coach a "real" insight on what type player you have. Tryouts are hard for coaches that are not familiar with players they have no history on. Tryouts give new area type players a 2-3 hour window for both parents and coaches to see a kid and the team they may get an offer on. Hard for parents to see what they will get for their money there and hard for coaches to see if a kid is a great tryout player, but nervous type player in "real" games. Most teams have players/ parents sign a contract when offered a spot and usually play some if not a lot in the Fall. If things go good for both player and what coach thinks of him as a fit on his team, I would say that travel ball is well worth it. If player struggles in the Fall to at least be a middle of lineup type player, then I would suggest that player/ parent look for a better fit for that player or play rec ball or find another sport where the player can be happy with himself and the parents don't feel betrayed by a coach or program. Coaches always want to put their best product on the field at the higher levels. Lower level teams may have more leeway on playing time and "friendly type" put together teams.
So to make a short story long, if you find the right fit for your player, it is absolutely worth it. If not, you may hate it for yourself, your player and will think the coach or program is too expensive for your money.
The reality is that EVERYTHING is toooooo expensive and it will not get cheaper from gas to groceries to travel ball in any sport. Ask a volleyball player parent how much it costs for a pair of shorts a jersey and a few tournaments. It's ridiculous!!!
Good luck on all your quests to find the right fit next season. It's a challenge for both parents and coaches to find that every year ;) |
|
|
|
gpawwarrior
74 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2014 : 15:38:27
|
quote:
Originally posted by bballman
I'm sure there will be lots of opinions and comments about this. Here is a link to another thread on this site where the same question was addressed. May want to look thru it. gpawwarrior, you're not the only one who feels this way. There are comments on both side of the issue and alternatives to travel ball suggested.
http://www.nwgabaseball.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=29997
bballman I read the entire post took a while . Like all posts it gets into a lot more than the original subject, There is a lot on info in the post. But the average Mom with 2 jobs don't have the info that's available here. We haven't gotten into the paying for instruction yet we still playing 7u ball. Looks like it will get much more expensive in years to come.In my days of playing money never came into anything, the coach played the best he had, all this is something new to me Im 68 yrs old. |
|
|
|
bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2014 : 17:10:15
|
I'm glad you read it gpaw. Obviously, everyone has a lot to learn, including me. I wish every parent of every kid playing baseball had access to websites like this. I think it would help a lot in terms of getting some direction from people who have been thru this already.
In terms of your original question. Is travel ball worth it. The answer is, it depends. It depends on a lot of things. It depends on do you think the value is worth the money? It depends on how old your kid/grandkid is compared to how much you are paying. It depends on if your player is going to or wants to play HS ball. And when you get to HS, does your player have a desire to play college ball.
Personally (and many may disagree), I don't think it is necessary for players that are under 11 or 12. I personally think that playing on any team and learning the fundamentals of the game and working on the mechanics of the game is what is most important, not the name on the jersey. I personally think that if you do that, no matter where you play, playing travel at 12, 13 & 14 gives you plenty of time to get ready for HS. I know the arguments against that, but I just don't think it's necessary or worth the kind of money people are paying nowadays.
I also don't think you need to be paying thousands of dollars prior to HS at 12, 13 & 14. I think if you are on a decently coached team and face good competition, you will be fine. When you get to HS and want to play in college, you may want to play on the more high profile teams. What you are paying for there is exposure to college recruiters. You are paying for a coach who has contacts with college coaches and will promote your player to those coaches and be an advocate for them. It's worth the money in these situations, if you want to play at the next level.
My son played rec ball until he was 11, played travel starting at 12. When he played travel, it was on a local city sponsored travel team. The coaches were all dads. Provided pretty decent instruction. We played a very competitive schedule. Didn't win a lot of tournaments, but made it to the semi finals and finals many, many times. We were playing the best. What did it do for my son? As a freshman in a 6A school, he started as a position player on JV and was a starting pitcher on varsity. Sophomore year on, he started position and was a starting pitcher on varsity. He currently pitches for a top 10 NCAA Division 2 school. I'd say he did alright with the formula I'm talking about.
Like I said, I'm sure that a lot of people will disagree with me, but that is what I think. Take it for what it's worth.
|
|
|
|
funnyhop
74 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2014 : 19:34:46
|
| NO |
|
|
|
gpawwarrior
74 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2014 : 20:37:47
|
| I wonder if 8,9,10 year old boys that have played since they were 4 will get burnt out. Do some play because of their parents or because they want to? I have seen some of both. There is so much pressure on these kids at such a young age some can take it some cant. Im getting off the subject now but parents can be the kids own worst enemy at times |
|
|
|
bballman
1432 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2014 : 21:34:00
|
quote:
Originally posted by gpawwarrior
I wonder if 8,9,10 year old boys that have played since they were 4 will get burnt out. Do some play because of their parents or because they want to? I have seen some of both. There is so much pressure on these kids at such a young age some can take it some cant. Im getting off the subject now but parents can be the kids own worst enemy at times
I wonder the same thing gpawwarrior. And I agree with your last statement. Not all the time, but with kids playing so much at such a young age, I worry about it a little. I also worry about injury for kids who pitch. Starting that young puts a lot of wear and tear on the arm. How many pitches will some kids have thrown by the time they get to HS if they are playing 100+ games a year since 7 or 8 years old. And you have these young teams carrying only 11, 12 or 13 kids to avoid complaints about play time. Doesn't leave a lot of room to spread the pitching around.
I'm not sure if anyone has the actual answer, but it is something I get concerned about. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Is TRAVEL BALL for everyone
