This topic is one I tend to get asked about a lot more than others. I'd love to write blogs about the current state of real estate and how I can be part of your next deal but the truth is kids sports is my passion and it's so much easier to write about and gets a lot more interaction from my circle of influence lol.
The "Travel ball" term for all intents and purposes for this blog will include baseball and softball. Softball is distinguished by A, B and C . Then there are different organizations like PGF, USA and Alliance. In baseball you have Little League and Pony. Then you have organizations like USA, USSSA and Perfect Game.
As parents, we love to tell everyone about our child's first word, their first steps and then their first drawings and so on. Why would we expect that to change when they are 5 or 10 or 15. As our kids get older we tend to find competition in other children and their parents. It happens unexpectedly and we all deny it. We pretend like it doesn't happen because we know it's wrong but it's there and it kind of grows without any water lol. I think this is where the current state of "Travel Ball" was born. I always thought it was more of a FOMO thing. A Fear Of Missing Out. I think it was a little fomo but I also think it came from the Parents, us and the coaches and coordinators who noticed there was a market for them.
I can remember when Joey was young and his buddy was not only crawling but he was climbing. This kid was so athletic and it was crazy. I remember thinking to myself "I hope Joey learns how to climb". He was about 20 months old at this point lol. Typing this out makes me almost blush except I think it's a normal feeling. I was worried if my kid was good enough, fast enough or strong enough. Nothing has changed. As my son is now 6'5 and over 200 lbs I still want him to be stronger and faster than the next guy. That doesn't ever go away.
What does subside and what has gone away is my internal voice that only wanted my kids to do well so that my children would stand out. I now genuinely want every child to succeed at the highest level they are capable of. Which brings me to my point of travel ball. Sometimes I do have to remind myself that there are nearly 300 NCAA D1 Colleges for each of my children to go to. This doesn't include all the awesome D2, D3 NAIA and Junior Colleges available. My point is not that my kids have to go D1, my point is that there is plenty of room for all our kids. There is no reason to poo poo the next kid or their decision in an attempt to elevate our own. If your child wants to play on a team outside of school I have good news for you. There is an option.
Ok on to the meat and potatoes. Travel ball used to be reserved for the best of the best. That is no longer the case. There are kids of all skill levels playing in all sports travel ball systems. Understanding this is key. Just because your child does play travel ball does not mean they are better than the kid next door and similarly if they do not play travel ball it does not mean they are worse up to a certain age. I think most people can understand this thought process but we may differ on when that age is most important. For instance my kids played multiple sports. If you were to see their travel team while some players were in football or soccer season you may think certain kids were the "best" when in fact they were the best at the time not the best of all time.
Similarly the best player of all time at a certain age is not always the best thing. I used to always think the worst player on a MLB team was always the best player on every team they were on their entire life. While I am sure this is true more times than not, it is not full proof nor a 100% true. Here are a few examples. Little League world series love to play videos of Patrick Mahomes. Yes the quarterback for the Chiefs. When and if you get to go to Cooperstown with your kid as a 12 year old you will see people like Bryce Harper and Mike Trout but you will also see Odell Beckham Jr. My point is the best 12 yr olds don't equate to the best 18 year olds in that sport. Sometimes it does but don't push all your chips in if at 12 you are or you aren't. That's my point.
We have bought into the Hype. The rankings, The trophies. The hustle. I remember when Savannah was 8 years old and I had to drive her and some teammates to a game in Modesto. The start time was 745 am which meant we all had to wake up at 430 to be there on time. This was not even close to the worst. When Joey was 5 years old and played football we had to be in Monterey for an 8 am game. You can do the math. Being at a game 90 minutes prior to the start and living 2 plus hours away. My point is not to bash these times. They were some of the most memorable and fun times along with some big tears of my children's childhoods. These have helped shape them into what and who they are now. As we chased the titles and trophies we spent money we didn't have on things we thought were so important and intrinsically valuable. I am not sure I would do it again. Or at least I should say I would not have taken it so seriously.
When we look at travel ball teams I think it's important as a parent to understand what the team is providing. What are you looking for this team to do for your child? Are you looking for a team that will make them a better person, a better player, a winner, exposure, or a scholarship? These don't all come from the same team typically. We are currently scheduled to be in North Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, Southern California, Texas and Tennessee this summer. Yes I said this Summer. As in a 3 month span. Am I rich? No. Am I crazy? Well this has yet to be proven but yeah maybe just a little. Sports have become the oxygen in which my family breathes. Currently both my kids want to play at west coast colleges. There is no "need" to play in other states for that to come true. I am not sure we are doing this right but I offer it up for parents to see how it is going for us. My kids have both been on teams that accumulated talent and competed to win national titles. They have also been on teams that were local, inexpensive and grew talent. They both served great experience and life values. On the national teams they learned how to support the team and be part of a greater cause. On the local teams they learned how to be a bigger part of the team and carry the burden of the wins and losses. Both were valuable and both brought different points of views on what their "Role" was.
When looking at the team you are signing up for manage your expectations. Understand your Child's role and where the coaching staff sees them. What your expectations of your 8 year old team should not be the same as what your 18 year old needs. Traveling is for you and your family, not for your Child's future in the sport. Yes there are some valuable things learned in playing in Colorado or Las Vegas or Florida but for the 95% of the players traveling is more family vacations and if you treat it as such you will be much happier. We traveled to Florida for a tournament with nearly 100 teams. We broke the golden rule and booked a flight that would be hard to make if the boys made it to the finals. Well they not only made the finals they won the entire tournament. My wife and daughter ended up leaving us early and missing the final game. A mistake we vowed to never make again because it was a moment we didn't think we could afford only to realize it was one we should have planned for.
There is no such thing as free. No matter what skill level your child is or what fee is waived it all costs money. Some charge more than others and this is a business. Every coach wants the best players and some coaches also pick the best families but make no mistake about it. There is no secret donor in the sky making donations so that your 8 year old can play in Texas during the summer. When I hear people talk about money grabs I have to chuckle. It's all a money grab. Life is a money grab. Life is expensive. You think Starbucks coffee is worth $3 a cup over 7/11's $0.99 cup of Joe? You think Lulu lemon pants make you more athletic because they're $140 a pop. When you think of travel ball think of Air Jordan tennis shoes. When your kid wears that travel ball hat or hoodie they feel like they are wearing Jordans but there is a cost for that. Just because they are wearing Jordans does not make them Michael Jordan. They do not jump higher or faster. That comes from hard work. If your child decided to wear Steph Curry's shoes he will also not be a better 3 point shooter. That comes from time in the gym. My point is pick a travel ball team or program because your child wants to be there and because your child is wanted there. Go support that team and work with your child outside of this to help them achieve their goals. Yes some coaches offer extra stuff on the side and make money from it but so does everyone else in life. Do not expect the cost of the team your child plays for to dictate how good they are and let's stop bashing the teams below ours or above. At the end of the day we are all parents wanting to see smiles on our kids' faces. When it comes to Travel ball pick one that creates more smiles than tears and try to support the kids next door. There is enough room for everyone to play at the level their talent allows.
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