It deserves it's own thread.

[PooPopsBaldHead]

DCD brought up travel softball in the how much is too much thread. I mentioned my neighbor who claimed to have dropped $50-$60k on his 11-12 year old's softball in the past year. They're currently in the Little League Softball Regionals trying to get to the World Series.

I figured the guy was embellishing or paying for the whole team. Nope. My wife told me the name of the travel team she plays on and I looked it up... 114 games since last fall. Almost every other weekend in Arizona or California. With Oregon, Utah and Idaho in the other weekends. 2 trips to Oklahoma as well.

This kid has now played in (counting rec ball, travel ball, and all stars) 138 games and counting since last fall.... Unbelievable.

---

So we have 3 different 12u teams in my county making World Series runs right now. Here's the game counts for each in the last 12 months:

138 Games - 12U Little League Softball - Currently in Regionals 2 wins away from World Series

100 Games - 12U Little League Baseball - They start regionals next weekend in California

92 Games - 12U Cal Ripken Baseball - They start the World Series August 6th in Branson, MO

Those are unbelievable game counts for 12 year olds. I bet that softball team has traveled 30,000 miles so far.

 

[FreeDawg]

17 that

 

[grinningmule]

 

[ckDOG]

That kid is going to be poorly prepared for when they aren't treated like they are the center of the universe. To the kid's credit, it does require a lot of energy to show up for that many games and practices but it's going to be a tough adjustment for them as a young adult when the world doesn't focus on them the way their parents did. You can love your kid without dedicating every bit of your energy, money, and free time to their 1 hobby.

Best of luck.

 

[The Cooterpoot]

DCD brought up travel softball in the how much is too much thread. I mentioned my neighbor who claimed to have dropped $50-$60k on his 11-12 year old's softball in the past year. They're currently in the Little League Softball Regionals trying to get to the World Series.

I figured the guy was embellishing or paying for the whole team. Nope. My wife told me the name of the travel team she plays on and I looked it up... 114 games since last fall. Almost every other weekend in Arizona or California. With Oregon, Utah and Idaho in the other weekends. 2 trips to Oklahoma as well.

This kid has now played in (counting rec ball, travel ball, and all stars) 138 games and counting since last fall.... Unbelievable.

---

So we have 3 different 12u teams in my county making World Series runs right now. Here's the game counts for each in the last 12 months:

138 Games - 12U Little League Softball - Currently in Regionals 2 wins away from World Series

100 Games - 12U Little League Baseball - They start regionals next weekend in California

92 Games - 12U Cal Ripken Baseball - They start the World Series August 6th in Branson, MO

Those are unbelievable game counts for 12 year olds. I bet that softball team has traveled 30,000 miles so far.

That's some 17d up stuff and your friend is a fool doing that! That's not real travel ball, that's a poorly run organization. The better ones put more time in training than those games. They don't remotely play that many games. Tell your friend his daughter will never get that much in scholarship/NIL money in softball unless she's a damn freak or a smoke show.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

That kid is going to be poorly prepared for when they aren't treated like they are the center of the universe. To the kid's credit, it does require a lot of energy to show up for that many games and practices but it's going to be a tough adjustment for them as a young adult when the world doesn't focus on them the way their parents did. You can love your kid without dedicating every bit of your energy, money, and free time to their 1 hobby.

Best of luck.

Additionally, I's worry that the kid isn't learning decision making skills, when always being told when and where to be and what do, decision making skills may not developed (I've heard professional athletes say this).

 

[dawgstudent]

DCD brought up travel softball in the how much is too much thread. I mentioned my neighbor who claimed to have dropped $50-$60k on his 11-12 year old's softball in the past year. They're currently in the Little League Softball Regionals trying to get to the World Series.

I figured the guy was embellishing or paying for the whole team. Nope. My wife told me the name of the travel team she plays on and I looked it up... 114 games since last fall. Almost every other weekend in Arizona or California. With Oregon, Utah and Idaho in the other weekends. 2 trips to Oklahoma as well.

This kid has now played in (counting rec ball, travel ball, and all stars) 138 games and counting since last fall.... Unbelievable.

---

So we have 3 different 12u teams in my county making World Series runs right now. Here's the game counts for each in the last 12 months:

138 Games - 12U Little League Softball - Currently in Regionals 2 wins away from World Series

100 Games - 12U Little League Baseball - They start regionals next weekend in California

92 Games - 12U Cal Ripken Baseball - They start the World Series August 6th in Branson, MO

Those are unbelievable game counts for 12 year olds. I bet that softball team has traveled 30,000 miles so far.

This pales in comparison to your story but I had a co-worker whose daughter played in a softball tournament 2 years ago. This was when it was like 105 in August in Mississippi for a few weeks. They started the tournament at like 5 PM to avoid the heat and the championship game of the tournament started at 3 AM Sunday Morning.

 

[ZombieKissinger]

At least in baseball you have a moonshot of a huge payday if your kid is great. What he spent on softball is more than any softball player makes in a year

 

[stateu1]

At least in baseball you have a moonshot of a huge payday if your kid is great. What he spent on softball is more than any softball player makes in a year

Didn't some college pitcher get $1mil NIL? Rare, I know but it happens.

 

[615dawg]

It is absurd what is happening in youth sports.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

That's some 17d up stuff and your friend is a fool doing that! That's not real travel ball, that's a poorly run organization. The better ones put more time in training than those games. They don't remotely play that many games. Tell your friend his daughter will never get that much in scholarship/NIL money in softball unless she's a damn freak or a smoke show.

Just to be clear, he's my neighbor... Not my friend. The worst part is the guy played pro ball. Made it all the way to AAA for Detroit organization as a catcher.

 

[Seinfeld]

17 that

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

This pales in comparison to your story but I had a co-worker whose daughter played in a softball tournament 2 years ago. This was when it was like 105 in August in Mississippi for a few weeks. They started the tournament at like 5 PM to avoid the heat and the championship game of the tournament started at 3 AM Sunday Morning.

Oh I get it.

We had the most brutal baseball game of my life a few weeks ago. It was Little League Districts which are governed and run by the Gestapo. Ropes preventing parents from getting close to the players and chaperones from the district required for kids to use the toilet. All to prevent cheating.

Anyhow, July 8th. Game started at 4pm at 102° and lasted until 7:38 when it was 103°. Little League rules required a 15 minute "shade break" every hour so we had 3. But we had to stay in our dugout which was facing the sun and only offered shade above neck high on the first break and then none thereafter. We pulled ahead in the top of the 6th, but walked the bases loaded and were at risk of not merely losing...who cares, but those 17ers might have tied it up forcing extra innings.

The head coach was going to put in a kid that sucks, but I talked him into using my kid. My kid was supposed to start the next day. He pitched an inning the day before (19 pitches) and was still eligible to pitch. But it would burn him for the next game since LL doesn't let you pitch 3 days in row no matter the pitch count. So he came in with bases loaded and got a strikeout and 2 pop ups on 8 pitches. One of the umpires told him it was the greatest save in the history of Little League.

Poor dude threw 2 innings and 27 pitches over 2 days and couldn't pitch in the make or break game. But it was absolutely worth it. Heat strokes were on the table if we played any longer.

 

[stateu1]

Oh I get it.

We had the most brutal baseball game of my life a few weeks ago. It was Little League Districts which are governed and run by the Gestapo. Ropes preventing parents from getting close to the players and chaperones from the district required for kids to use the toilet. All to prevent cheating.

Anyhow, July 8th. Game started at 4pm at 102° and lasted until 7:38 when it was 103°. Little League rules required a 15 minute "shade break" every hour so we had 3. But we had to stay in our dugout which was facing the sun and only offered shade above neck high on the first break and then none thereafter. We pulled ahead in the top of the 6th, but walked the bases loaded and were at risk of not merely losing...who cares, but those 17ers might have tied it up forcing extra innings.

The head coach was going to put in a kid that sucks, but I talked him into using my kid. My kid was supposed to start the next day. He pitched an inning the day before (19 pitches) and was still eligible to pitch. But it would burn him for the next game since LL doesn't let you pitch 3 days in row no matter the pitch count. So he came in with bases loaded and got a strikeout and 2 pop ups on 8 pitches. One of the umpires told him it was the greatest save in the history of Little League.

Poor dude threw 2 innings and 27 pitches over 2 days and couldn't pitch in the make or break game. But it was absolutely worth it. Heat strokes were on the table if we played any longer.

3:38 game time? Is there no time limit?

 

[615dawg]

Talking about heat strokes, Apparently 18 kids were treated for heat exhaustion at Tupelo's BAND practice this week. This heat is not a joke.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

3:38 game time? Is there no time limit?

Not in Little League Districts. Brutal I tell you.

 

[BirdPuppy]

Talking about heat strokes, Apparently 18 kids were treated for heat exhaustion at Tupelo's BAND practice this week. This heat is not a joke.

Minecraft and Fortnight are the primary drivers here.

 

[Puppers]

I have heard softball parents justify the expense by going for an athletic scholarship. Then their daughter goes to a small school that she wouldn't have wanted to go to otherwise and costs much less than the parents spent on a decade of travel ball, equipment, lessons, etc.

 

[The Cooterpoot]

Little League has fallen to pulling travel ballers from outside districts etc for the sake of "The Show" & money. Travel ball was going to kill them if they didn't, so they became travel ball under the guise of "Purity in our league". Little League is about the money like every league not a small time rec league is now.

 

[615dawg]

I have heard softball parents justify the expense by going for an athletic scholarship. Then their daughter goes to a small school that she wouldn't have wanted to go to otherwise and costs much less than the parents spent on a decade of travel ball, equipment, lessons, etc.

BOOM. You nailed it.

 

[stateu1]

Talking about heat strokes, Apparently 18 kids were treated for heat exhaustion at Tupelo's BAND practice this week. This heat is not a joke.

I work across the street from a high school and those

Not in Little League Districts. Brutal I tell you.

Gees. Do they just schedule 1 game per day?

 

[dawgstudent]

Talking about heat strokes, Apparently 18 kids were treated for heat exhaustion at Tupelo's BAND practice this week. This heat is not a joke.

They are also band members. I mean this in not a mean way but I doubt they've been out preparing for the heat.

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

I work across the street from a high school and those

Gees. Do they just schedule 1 game per day?

Yes. I actually prefer a real game like that. Vs 3-4 1:45 time limit games in a single day. The 45+ minutes of "shade breaks" where our kids were forced to sit in a sun drenched dugout was the problem.

The next evening we had lightning and they made all the kids walk across the equivalent of 3 football fields to sit in their cars. "Here you go kids, grab these lightning rods, ER bats, and walk across an open field for a quarter mile in a lightning storm for player safety reasons."

 

[PooPopsBaldHead]

Update on the 12u softball team. Apparently they started 2-0 in regionals but lost Wednesday and yesterday to end their season. 139 games worth of time, effort, and $$$$. I can only imagine the devastation those poor girls had when they were eliminated 2 wins away from the world series.

The neighbor's daughter ended up going 0-6 with a walk in the regional.

In a sidenote. The guy has a 2nd grade boy that is friends with my youngest. Softball Dad is trying to put together a flag football team and is trying to get my kid on their team (because he's 100 times faster/stronger/better at football than his kid.) He wants to get a "group of kids together for years to come." After this little exercise I think we'll pass, I foresee $30k+ worth of flag and/or 7v7 in the future with this guy.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

Talking about heat strokes, Apparently 18 kids were treated for heat exhaustion at Tupelo's BAND practice this week. This heat is not a joke.

My youngest son is in high school band for his first year and they are mid practice week since two weeks ago. He fell out with heat exhaustion on Friday afternoon and we aren't anywhere near tupelo** so its bad everywhere

 

[OG Goat Holder]

It is absurd what is happening in youth sports.

I'm just trying to figure out how I can make money off of it.

 

[DoggieDaddy13]

We talking about practice???! Practice??

Play the games. The more you pay, the more games they play, the more they experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. The more glory. And the better they get.

17 a practice.

 

[Dawg Raid]

Some people make sports their idol, others make their kids who play sports their idols. Parents need to learn to say no

 

[thedoubledeuce]

Some people make sports their idol, others make their kids who play sports their idols. Parents need to learn to say no

Some kids need to learn to say no too.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I have heard softball parents justify the expense by going for an athletic scholarship. Then their daughter goes to a small school that she wouldn't have wanted to go to otherwise and costs much less than the parents spent on a decade of travel ball, equipment, lessons, etc.

That’s exactly it. Or they don’t want to play anymore and never pick up a bat again after high school or travel ball.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I'm just trying to figure out how I can make money off of it.

Start a softball team and tell the parents you’re going to play 7 or 8 tournaments and then keep adding on tournaments and ask for more money until you’ve played about 16 weeks. Happened to my nextdoor neighbors.

 

[85Bears]

The adults are the problem, just let kids be kids. Travel ball probably eliminates more talented players with Burn out than it does build major leaguers.

 

[OG Goat Holder]

Start a softball team and tell the parents you’re going to play 7 or 8 tournaments and then keep adding on tournaments and ask for more money until you’ve played about 16 weeks. Happened to my nextdoor neighbors.

I'm too honest for that. I used to have a team and we always split everything equally. When I stopped coaching and the players all went and found new teams, the parents called me and asked why was everything so expensive. I've heard all the teams' garbage about "what you see is what you're getting, nothing to hide, this is what you're paying for, no secrets, etc." But their price is double the actual cost. So they'll tell you exactly what you're paying for, except for the fluff to pay themselves.

I've thought about outing this one mother 17er publicly before but decided against. Just tried to advise parents the best I could, and tell them who to stay away from. It's amazing what these shaved arm clowns and their dipshlt wives will try and get away with.

If I ever get into it, I would be umpiring or tournament directing.

 

[TheBannerM]

Climate controlled environments made travel volleyball tolerable. I'm so glad my kids tapped out of baseball at 10 y/o and I never had to deal with May/June heat again.

 

[Drebin]

Talking about heat strokes, Apparently 18 kids were treated for heat exhaustion at Tupelo's BAND practice this week. This heat is not a joke.

This happens. Our own FMB has a pretty intense couple of weeks in the heat preparing for the season, and they had a few of them still pass out from heat exhaustion the first game of the year last year. It's rough. One kid fell out during the pregame show on the field.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

This happens. Our own FMB has a pretty intense couple of weeks in the heat preparing for the season, and they had a few of them still pass out from heat exhaustion the first game of the year last year. It's rough. One kid fell out during the pregame show on the field.

“Why aren’t they wearing the full uniform for all home game. Shirts and tshirts looks terrible”. Says the guy sitting in the stands drinking a beer.

My nephew was in Hernando High School band for four years and just finished one year of being in the band at Ole Miss. He said that high school was more intense than college. I can totally see the Tupelo kids passing out.

 

[Drebin]

“Why aren’t they wearing the full uniform for all home game. Shirts and tshirts looks terrible”. Says the guy sitting in the stands drinking a beer.

My nephew was in Hernando High School band for four years and just finished one year of being in the band at Ole Miss. He said that high school was more intense than college. I can totally see the Tupelo kids passing out.

Yes, my son is in the FMB now, and was at Lewisburg. Like Hernando, their band was one of the best in the state, and my kid says the same - it was a lot more intense in high school.

In college they have to know more music, but in high school the marching and the shows are more intricate.

 

[DawgNsuds]

I have heard softball parents justify the expense by going for an athletic scholarship. Then their daughter goes to a small school that she wouldn't have wanted to go to otherwise and costs much less than the parents spent on a decade of travel ball, equipment, lessons, etc.

or deicide they no longer want to play. We played travel softball, but not to this extent, stayed in the southeast. Several girls who were offered said "nope, I'm done and just want to go to be a student" mine included. Good news is she went to State, so there is that. Softball though wasn't our tuition plan, we did MPACT when she was born thank goodness

 

[BrunswickDawg]

Yes, my son is in the FMB now, and was at Lewisburg. Like Hernando, their band was one of the best in the state, and my kid says the same - it was a lot more intense in high school.

In college they have to know more music, but in high school the marching and the shows are more intricate.

Yeah, unless you've been in or had kids in, marching bands and the work they put in is very underappreciated.
I fell out from heat at my first marching band practice in high school - and I'd spent all summer playing OF on my Pony League team. Locked my knees, and fell out carrying a base drum. My older sister laughed her *** off at me.

 

[RocketDawg]

DCD brought up travel softball in the how much is too much thread. I mentioned my neighbor who claimed to have dropped $50-$60k on his 11-12 year old's softball in the past year. They're currently in the Little League Softball Regionals trying to get to the World Series.

I figured the guy was embellishing or paying for the whole team. Nope. My wife told me the name of the travel team she plays on and I looked it up... 114 games since last fall. Almost every other weekend in Arizona or California. With Oregon, Utah and Idaho in the other weekends. 2 trips to Oklahoma as well.

This kid has now played in (counting rec ball, travel ball, and all stars) 138 games and counting since last fall.... Unbelievable.

---

So we have 3 different 12u teams in my county making World Series runs right now. Here's the game counts for each in the last 12 months:

138 Games - 12U Little League Softball - Currently in Regionals 2 wins away from World Series

100 Games - 12U Little League Baseball - They start regionals next weekend in California

92 Games - 12U Cal Ripken Baseball - They start the World Series August 6th in Branson, MO

Those are unbelievable game counts for 12 year olds. I bet that softball team has traveled 30,000 miles so far.

That's a little - no, a lot; a huge amount - over the top.