too few players or too many teams

That was pretty cynical YOCOACH. I think there are a lot of families involved in TB that are not chasing the scholarship dream, maybe the kids want to play in college and want to be ready for it, but aren't chasing the bucks, or maybe they just want to play but they are too good for REC or don't like the rigidity of REC. There are plenty of reasons. I think the rose colored glasses crowd is the most vocal but there are a lot of us who have a pretty good, realistic assessment of the good things and bad things about our kids playing and just want to find the right experience for them to enjoy the game while they try and grow their skills.

JJsqueeze said:

That was pretty cynical YOCOACH. I think there are a lot of families involved in TB that are not chasing the scholarship dream, maybe the kids want to play in college and want to be ready for it, but aren't chasing the bucks, or maybe they just want to play but they are too good for REC or don't like the rigidity of REC. There are plenty of reasons. I think the rose colored glasses crowd is the most vocal but there are a lot of us who have a pretty good, realistic assessment of the good things and bad things about our kids playing and just want to find the right experience for them to enjoy the game while they try and grow their skills.

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My own daughter, a very athletic girl, is not interested in college ball. Given that, I still want her to strive to reach her potential in her pre-college years so that she doesn't look back and regret that she didn't. I constantly look back at my high school wrestling with regret....regret that I didn't strive to be the best I could be.

JJsqueeze said:

That was pretty cynical YOCOACH. I think there are a lot of families involved in TB that are not chasing the scholarship dream, maybe the kids want to play in college and want to be ready for it, but aren't chasing the bucks, or maybe they just want to play but they are too good for REC or don't like the rigidity of REC. There are plenty of reasons. I think the rose colored glasses crowd is the most vocal but there are a lot of us who have a pretty good, realistic assessment of the good things and bad things about our kids playing and just want to find the right experience for them to enjoy the game while they try and grow their skills.

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JJ, After re-reading my post, I can see that I have not made my points as clearly as I had intended. Let me try and be a little more clear and concise. TB, like other sports is money driven. The families that are in it for the athletic scholarships are mistaken that TB, in and of itself, will be the vehicle to get them there. It takes far more than just playing TB to get an athletic scholarship. To play at one of the 300 or so D1 softball programs, the player must be an elite player in the top 8,000 athletes among millions in the country. Few families realize that fact. Nor do many realize that it takes a lot of legwork by the players themselves to get their name out to the college coaches and constant communication with them, even if it is only one sided for the time being. With few exceptions, sitting back and waiting for their DD to be discovered, or better yet, expecting others to go and market their DD for them is a non-starter unless they are part of a true marquee organization.

BTW, I realize that not every player/family that is looking for athletic scholarship money is looking for a D1 scholarship. I was just throwing that out there as one example of many.

As I said before, many TB families, depending upon the area they are living, do not even know that there are different levels of TB. A great example is one of the larger organizations in our area that sell themselves as an elite organization. Their best team at the 14u level will usually travel the area within a 1 1/2 hr drive and do pretty well in what I would classify as smaller B level tournaments (8-16 teams). I met one of the parents the other day and we started discussing our DD's and where they play. She made it sound as if her DD were playing for Tim Walton and the Gators and had no knowledge whatsoever that her DD's team is a very good B team and nothing more.

So, to sum it all up, I'm not saying that all TB parents and families are in it for the scholarships when in fact many are not ( a good example is my own team).

What I am saying for those that are looking for an athletic scholarship opportunity:

1) A lot of TB families are being sold a fake (for lack of a better word) bill of goods based upon the TB branding and need to better educate themselves about TB in general, the various levels of play, and the different team/organizational options available to them.
2) TB families need to better educate themselves about the organizations they are playing for, what their National ranking may be and at what level of play (i.e. where they finished up in nationals and which ABC org level), what kind of support/ marketing/ showcases they can expect from the team coaches/organization and what kind of college coach contacts they have.
3) Most Importantly, TB families must take a proactive approach to recruiting. They must educate themselves on the process and not leave it in the hands of others because no one has a more vested interest in success than the family themselves.
4) Do an honest evaluation of the players skills and act accordingly. If the family can't do an evaluation honestly, there are several options to have this done for them. Above all, they shouldn't have unrealistic expectations.

The last point that I tried to make was if DD X is a pitcher and has been to 4 different teams in the last 3 years because she doesn't get the circle time the parents think she deserves, I wish the family would develop that pitcher further as opposed to going out and starting a new team since no coach will treat their DD as "Fairly" as they will. Unfortunately, around here, Mommy or Daddy starting a new team ( for the wrong reasons IMO) is all too common. Many of the organizations in the area are in it solely for the money and you would not believe the number of new teams they announce in the Fall only to have those very same teams fold at the beginning of the Summer tourney season. In the mean time, quite a few established teams/organizations, especially at the 14u level, seem to be constantly scrambling for pitchers and catchers since there are so many being swooped up due to promises of greener pastures by these extra start-up teams.

Edit to Add: This was the part of the discussion that I thought of as Cynical meaning that a majority of the new teams in our area were going to be "Daddy Ball" coaches. It may or may not be true. JMCPOV.