Twitter blowing up about 7th grade rankings

[_MIA_]

My bigger issue with the EI rankings is that they really are just another outlet for marketing by particular (often very good) organizations, but they are promoted as “factual.” It’s the selling of the rankings as having a correspondence to reality that I find objectionable.


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There is a kid (8th grader) I have posted on here a few times who might be the best looking hitter here in OK outside of the Stillwater and Norman campuses (and no I am not forgetting any of the other colleges....) She was ranked below a kid who couldn't start for her MS team as a 7th grader..

The rankings being inaccurate and yet still being used for marketing purposes is certainly objectionable but I am not sure how harmful it actually is (outside of the pocketbook of some ill-informed parents..)

 

[PapaBear]

As a parent of a high school 2022, my kid was on the tail end of 7th and 8th graders still being recruited and committed to college. Now that was nuts, and in terms of having a negative psychological effect, I think it was worse than the EI list (or at least had the potential to be).

My bigger issue with the EI rankings is that they really are just another outlet for marketing by particular (often very good) organizations, but they are promoted as “factual.” It’s the selling of the rankings as having a correspondence to reality that I find objectionable.


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Agree, that was a different time. I only know of a few that held true to their commitment. Mine is a 2022 as well, on the first EI list for 2022 (and stayed there from 8th-12th in the Top 120) and she was having coaches come to games before she hit HS and that last fall was insane before the 18 months of no contact. Todays 2024 class, you hear stories of kids not handling it well or pulling the trigger on a lesser offer so they can have their moment because their teammates have committed.

Your last part is why I started this conversation. Seems the bigger picture is not EIS, but just another dimension to the problem with travel softball. If you're good you'll find a place to play. But if you have the brand name and a ranking you'll get to the head of the recruiting board.

 

[clarity]

My kid probably isn't even on there and she threw a perfect 3 innings against a first-year rec team in the fall. I also have a 5th grader, so there's still hope.

All it takes is a credit card!

 

[Gambler Bob]

There was a girl on my daughter's team that was ranked in the top 70 that only played in pool games. She only played in bracket play if it was a complete blowout. If I remember correctly she hit below .100 in about 40 games in the fall. She was pretty poor on the defensive side of the ball also. She did not return to the team in the spring/summer. This was a 13u team.

My daughter was ranked in the top 15 last year by by EIS. Which really means the top 45 since they have about 3 girls at each spot. The whole ranking thing is a complete joke if you ask me.

 

[jfitch12]

The rankings being inaccurate and yet still being used for marketing purposes is certainly objectionable but I am not sure how harmful it actually is (outside of the pocketbook of some ill-informed parents..)

It’s not harmful if everyone already knows the truth. But it’s hard to know how many ill-informed parents are out there, and for my money, I’d err in favor of more truth than less in public discourse. What got me on this were the comments about a year ago by Brent Eades (and maybe he has done the same this year, I don’t know) trying to justify the rankings as more independent, credible evaluations than they really are.


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[_MIA_]

It’s not harmful if everyone already knows the truth.

Right I mentioned ill-informed parents getting hurt in the pocketbook. If I were ranking hurt that would be secondary to any damage done to the mental state of young ladies. I agree though, there are multiple dubious outcomes of this and very few positive (imo)

 

[jfitch12]

Your last part is why I started this conversation. Seems the bigger picture is not EIS, but just another dimension to the problem with travel softball. If you're good you'll find a place to play. But if you have the brand name and a ranking you'll get to the head of the recruiting board.

I don’t even have a problem so much with the way that some brands sell better than others. I am all for a free market system. But consumers have to understand how the system works; otherwise, the market isn’t really free (or efficient) because people’s preferences aren’t registered correctly. My issue is that people don’t understand the system (meaning the importance and role of brand names)—or they don’t understand it until it’s too late. The EI rankings contribute to this problem, in my view, by masking the influence of the brands in the rankings and instead promoting the rankings as having some level of accuracy that doesn’t—and could never—exist.


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[El Oso]

Agree, but it's the old saying for the finger pointing you have 3 pointing back at you. Can't make rankings the bad guy when you built a 10U or 12U team and made cuts.

Cat doesn't coach 12 year olds. Neither does Lexi so don't think that applies here.

 

[daywalkerdad]

First place I would start is stop travel ball tournaments before 14U. So, if you're going to have these national exposure teams and "national tournaments" why not rank the kids. Seems it would save alot of time, money and letting kids be kids while weeding out. Too much money involved by all parties from organizations, specialty coaches (hitting/pitching) to stop.

I would too, however I think this ship has sailed.
DD played in a 7th/8th grade league of local schools that could have been a very competitive req league. Every school had a 2 fairly competitive teams were every girl had competition. However once you get the top players going travel it gets watered down especially with pitching.

 

[angispeds]

Lots of players on the 2024 top 100 (top 300) that have never played A level ball but sure do have great stats in their local tournaments. Mine is ranked…she probably deserves to be…she’s been ranked since these first lists came out. She’s played on a top tier team since she was 10. She’s also honored in high school ball. No one can argue that high school stats are more valid than travel. I personally know coaches that pad those stars like a radar grandpa.


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