It’s because developing kids the right way isn’t as financially lucrative for adults.
“We have ‘elite’ travel organizations claiming they are developing kids via sport specific training, formerly known as sport practice.
This isn’t the case.
They sell you on an abundance of competition (anti-development) & then (up)sell you ‘development’ a la carte style via ‘lessons’.”
-Ray Zingler on X
The number of parents who reach out to me about this stuff and even former travel ball coaches is noteworthy.
“It’s a money grab”.
“We fell for it this year.”
“Man, I’d read your work and it would convict the hell out of me, you tell it like it is, every time and most people just ignore it. I’m focusing on school ball and developing these boys into young men, now.”
“Looking back on her career, what a waste some of this stuff was that took from some of her life experiences. It’s like it took the love of the game out of her, but we had to do it because it was ‘the standard’. What it was, was a bunch of bullshit.”
That one hit me the most.
What most don’t realize is when you say ‘yes’ to something, you are saying no to everything else that could be taking place during that precious, non-renewable resource that is time.
The current youth sport model we use is not the best way, from any angle you look at it.
Well, outside of the adult profitability angle.
It’s not the most fun.
It’s not the most developmental.
It’s not the most rewarding.
It doesn’t create the most opportunity.
It’s counter to all of that.
Hell, you spend 5x more paying for travel ball than that elusive partial scholarship that may or may not come on the backside of it.
Look at it objectively.
We have “elite” travel ball organizations who enter your kids into an abysmal number of tournaments, showcases, and games and make YOU pay for it.
You’re literally buying burn out and increased injury risk.
And then, from there, if you want a snowballs chance in hell at actual development, you have to buy it as an a la carte item via lessons & private instruction.
If these organizations are such “elite developers” could they not develop them with the “elite instruction” during practice?
Of course not, practice sounds like an antonym of ‘elite’ so let’s just change the verbiage to, ‘sport specific training’, that’ll get their wallets open.
It’s a scam that is stealing from our kids.
And the inarguable data, absent of emotion, proves it too.
It’s time to start calling spades, spades.
