How many travel ball players?

[MNDad]

They played all those "nationals" in same year?

Not just different tournys

She played ASA and PGF one year. The others they were just registered to play in their tourneys.

Many teams use TCS nationals as a warm up to PGF.

 

[radness]

DD was registered with USA, USSSA, TCS and PGF simultaneously. It’s very common outside of CA.

PGF isn’t really the best of the best. As the OP stated over 10k kids played in their nationals and who knows how many more in their Regionals. They’re as watered down as any other sanction when you get to their lower teams.

Cant look at qualifiers...because yes that would be redundant teams trying again and again.

 

[Cannonball]

I will take a shot at the overall numbers and keep in mind that my guess is purely unscientific.

More than 5!

 

[radness]

Here is an interesting question.
Not counting california.

Do you think there could be
20 states that have
100 travel ball teams
in THEIR states?

Simple question.
Same question.

Is it possible that in all the age brackets of travel ball....
In 20 states could be 100 travel teams in each state?

That would be
2000 teams
×15 per roster
= 30,000 player
+
Add calif players from pgf #'s
= 8000

Total= 38,000

{Is it reasonable to think that could be the case?
Or could you think in say all the states (except calif)
there could be 50 teams in each of the states?}

* Care to guess how many teams in your state?




* 38,000 players.

Sound pheasable now?


Dont know how many in other states. However calif Is packed!!
Soooo JUST asking....

 

[CoachJD]

I will take a shot at the overall numbers and keep in mind that my guess is purely unscientific.

More than 5!

And fewer than 5 billion!

I know the post is about travel ball, but to maybe provide some context, during the 2017-18 school year, 367,861 girls played fast-pitch softball at the high school level according to the NFHS. I am almost positive this includes all levels since the survey I complete each year is for all levels and not just varsity.

It seems unlikely to me that across all ages, the number of travel ball players is only ~10% of the number of high school players. I'd guess the travel ball number is quite a bit higher, though I'm not sure how to define "travel ball" because that could range anywhere from the championships you see on ESPN to rec league All-Star teams that travel around their state to play other rec All-Stars.

 

[marriard]

Is it possible that in all the age brackets of travel ball....
In 20 states could be 100 travel teams in each state?

That would be
2000 teams
×15 per roster
= 30,000 player
+
Add calif players from pgf #'s
= 8000

Total= 38,000

{Is it reasonable to think that could be the case?
Or could you think in say all the states (except calif)
there could be 50 teams in each of the states?}

I am confused... what exactly are you trying to calculate? Is it # of fastpitch travel players in the USA? Or something else? Because counting players at nationals is not the way to go about that. Most travel teams don't attend any nationals - we have 14 teams in our org and most of them (especially in the younger age groups) do a State Championship at the end of the season.

I can come up with a reasonable way to estimate numbers if you want. It won't be very accurate and it will include some very debatable assumptions - but it will be a reasonable ballpark. On my first pass though, it is very clear that the number of travel players is way greater than the number of HS softball players simply because HS only includes older 14U-18U players and there is way more 10U/12U travel teams than there are HS age teams.

 

[radness]

I am confused... what exactly are you trying to calculate? Is it # of fastpitch travel players in the USA? Or something else? Because counting players at nationals is not the way to go about that. Most travel teams don't attend any nationals - we have 14 teams in our org and most of them (especially in the younger age groups) do a State Championship at the end of the season.

I can come up with a reasonable way to estimate numbers if you want. It won't be very accurate - but it will be ballpark. On my first pass though, it is very clear that the number of travel players is way greater than the number of HS softball players simply because HS only includes older 14U-18U players and there is way more 10U/12U travel teams than there are HS age teams.

Thank you marriard, and others for your interest in this!


EXACTLY
EXACTLY
EXACTLY
How many travel ball players!!

TOTALLY AGREE THERE ARE MORE TRAVEL BALL PLAYERS THAN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS.

which would make sense do to broader age groups participants.

.....generally try to ask questions to bring out thinking process in discussion.
Rather than just make a statement

 

[_MIA_]

We would have better luck trying to calculate the value of pi to 31.5 trillion decimal places then trying
to figure out how many TB there are in the US...

 

[Greatdaytobeawildcat]

I remember this question from my management consultant interview at McKinsey. It came right after "estimate the number of soccer balls that fit in the stairwell of the Sears Tower".

 

[BradyC87]

Thanks.
Mall of America ? Interesting.
Going to try and look at nationals as a way to get team numbers.

It is Monsta Championships now, changed sponsor from MOA to Monsta in like 2018 I think..

There will also be teams doubled up on this and the Northern Nationals as they are separate weekends and teams could qualify for both.