Right now travel ball is just paying to be in a cult. You ever see a travel ball coach who does not have a relative on the team but he’s the coach? That guy is fucked on the head.
Something’s wrong with that guy. If you’re a top end elite player, travel ball is worth it but most of these kids aren’t top end elite players and they’re just paying hiundreds of dollars every weekend to travel 3 hours to play the same fucking team they played last week 2 hours away. Most of these kids don’t even watch baseball and have low baseball IQs. They just play. No fundamentals being taught. These mom’s and these dad’s get super way into it and it’s bullshit.
We’ve played 4 years now. As stated below, a lot depends on the coach. It’s expensive too. The guy who runs the organization we’re with fields several teams (10u-14u teams). Cool guy and even told me my son’s fee was covered this year (2k). Still pricy because travel expenses far exceed the fee to be on the team… Leaving tomorrow for a tournament this weekend. Easily a thousand dollar + weekend.
As far as the parents, yeah, some are ridiculous. The parents of the kids who can play are actually pretty cool. It’s the parents of the kids who ride the pine are the ones who are loud mouth idiots. It’s like they know this will be the last year their kid plays baseball, since there’s little chance of them making the frosh team in HS. One of the fat F dads on our team is starting to get a little belligerent. Even heard trashing a few players on the team after they make an error or strike out….. I have a surprise for that guy at the end of the season. Trust me, he deserves it.
Pretty sure you cut and pasted that. I’ve read that before.
I’ve been there and done that. 10-15 years ago so maybe things have changed
For some travel teams…YES. But if any so-called parent hands their kids over to a coach or travel team without FULLY checking them out they are nuts and deserve what they get. Watch the team practice at least three times from the comfort of your car in the nearby parking lot and do not approach the coaches. Talk with parents that have kids on the team. I went to FIVE locations looking for a hitting coach in OC for my grandsons. Don’t just check their sport pedigree, watch them teach MULTIPLE lessons with a variety of age groups and skill levels. Would you invest in a business or stock without doing your homework? Heck no!