I know…the mere title of this story is just short of blasphemy to some serious sports fans. As a serious sports fan myself, I have often pondered this question. It has appeared to this writer that the “travel ball industry” has reached the point of just short, or having exceeded that of being out of control. Every year, I see parents investing increasingly larger amounts of time, money, and hope into what they believe will be their child’s ticket to playing in college, or perhaps even professionally.
I must preface my remarks by saying that I am a huge sports fan, and I have spent much of my life supporting and promoting athletes at all levels. In fact, in my retirement, I spend much of my time providing publicity to high school athletes playing the sports they love.
This article was written in the spirit of being thought provoking and not to advocate for or against travel or club sports. As the story will tell you, I had a son play travel sports, and I currently have a granddaughter who plays travel sports. But I have to ask myself and both raise the question about when our children became a multi-billion dollar industry. In a time of economic hardship for many people, I think it is appropriate to ask this question.
Gone are the days when scholastic sports consisted of students playing one, two, or maybe three sports per school year. Summers were spent having fun or being a kid, and for the most part, players worked out on their own to get ready for the school sports year that often began with August practices. Players avoided the air conditioner at home, and spent time outside either working in summer jobs, or working out to be in shape to report to August practice. Parents either worked or stayed home, but they were not taking time off from work and / or traveling with their children seemingly every weekend to tournaments or practices. And now, there is the additional cost and investment into personal trainers. It is not enough to play and practice every week, but now, our kids are working out with personal trainers in between games, tournaments, and practices.
The seductive lure of travel ball has been huge. It is a multi-billion dollar industry that puts money into the local economies of towns and cities that host weekend and week-long tournaments. Time Magazine (Time.com) has stated that the travel ball industry is a $15 Billion per year industry. Hotels, restaurants, community facilities, and the travel ball organizations themselves all benefit from the multitudes of players and their families that flock to the tournaments each weekend in hopes of being seen by college recruiters. And now, add to this expense the cost of gasoline that is regionally costing between $3.80 to more than $4 per gallon. Factor in inflationary costs, and all of the above-mentioned costs are now approximately 8% higher than they were a year ago. Depending on where the tournament is located, the market in which it is located (large or small city), and other costs that I have listed above, the literature suggests that the per player costs to the parents can be anywhere from $300 to more than $2000 per weekend. In fact, tournaments are taking place all over the country, and players and their families may be flying, renting cars, taking other forms of ground transportation (such as UBER), and incur hidden costs such as tips, and other miscellaneous costs. All in all, it adds up to a hefty price tag.
If it sounds like I am against travel ball, well, I certainly understand how you would think that. But there is a side of my thought that wonders if parents and players have been misled. The industry has done a very good job of convincing everyone that this is, and may be the only path, to playing beyond high school. Organizations will often promote their tournaments by saying, “there will be many college scouts in attendance.” That may, or may not be true. Certainly, not in all cases, but in some, there are scouts present. But common logic tells me that there are so many tournaments being played nation-wide, there cannot physically be scouts present at every tournament. Certainly, the high-profile AAU tournaments, for example, are a hot bed for not only college scouts, but for head coaches of the most prolific Division 1 programs. But the local, or regional tournament, not always so. According to what you read, some of the AAU coaches are paid quite well. Organizations make large sums of money on entry fees, concessions, photos, and souvenirs. Parents and fans pay stiff admission charges to enter the building to watch their kids play..and in some cases, there is not adequate seating available.
All of this has had a ripple down effect into high school athletics. Some high school players are now being told by their scholastic coaches that they will not either have a roster spot or will not start the next season if they do not play summer travel ball. And if the coach does not tell them that, there is the culture of expectation that a player knows they have to play summer travel ball to have a chance to play for their school teams. It is pressure on the player and their families, and even becomes a point of contention within schools when players in season in another sport attempt to play off-season club sports at the same time. Time, attention and energy is diverted from the in-season sport, and coaches of the in-season sports often begin to resent other coaches who expect their off-season players to play club sports while in-season with another sport.
But all of this, in my opinion, is just the nature of sports today. It has all changed from the scenario I described earlier of the way things used to be. Opinions will vary; there are certainly those who devoutly believe in travel sports and their perceived value of helping players get to college or beyond. And there are, people who look at the cost and the potential benefit and say it is not worth it. I wonder: Is it worth giving up a player’s childhood to practice and play every week, or, dedicate themselves to just one sport in the name of developing into a college player in that sport.
According to the website, berecruited.com, approximately 33% of college athletes quit, get cut, or get asked to leave the program before they graduate. Factor in burn-out that begins to be apparent in high school after kids have played virtually year-around from their younger years, and the promise or fulfillment of a college sports career fades even more. Playing in college is a job, and for many, it is not fun. It requires a full-time commitment and a virtual forfeiture of any semilence of a college student life. Often times, the player is on campus practicing when everyone else has gone home for the holidays, or, has not reported to school to start the semester. Bottom line, if the player is doing it because they believe that is what they think their parents want them to do, chances are high that they will be part of the 33% that the website suggests.
College athletic scholarships are not guaranteed, and most are renewable each year. A college program can offer and rescind an offer at the last second, leaving the athlete without anywhere to play. A program can also rescind the scholarship during the player’s tenure at a college or university. Compare this reality to that of an academic scholarship that is renewable and within the student’s control as long as they make the required grade point. Students who can walk-on a team with “preferred walk-on” status may have the most secure financial circumstances with respect to paying for college. Preferred walk-ons are treated with the same amenities and preferences as those who are on athletic scholarships. But unlike athletic scholarship players, their tuition, room and board, and supplies are paid by other means (academic scholarships, loans, parents, etc.) But unlike athletic scholarship players, the athletic department does not have an athletic scholarship to take away from them, and, they do not count against the athletic department’s total amount of allowable scholarships. Case in point, I had a basketball player who had been recruited by a Division 1 school. He was desirable to them because he was a good student who would qualify academically for financial aid. They signed him and was able to add him to their program and not use an athletic scholarship that could be subsequently be used to get another player who was not as qualified academically. So parents out there, a preferred walk on offer is a good offer if your child has good grades and test scores.
For female athletes, the website scholarshipstats.com states that the odds of playing college sports are listed as follows:
Softball
Odds of playing on any college roster: 11:1
Odds of playing on a Division 1 roster: 59:1
Basketball
Odds of playing on any college roster: 15:1
Odds of playing on a Division 1 roster: 91:1
Volleyball
Odds of playing on any college roster: 17:1
Odds of playing on a Division 1 roster: 91:1
For male athletes:
Baseball
Odds of playing on any college roster: 8:1
Odds of playing on a Division 1 roster: 47:1
Basketball
Odds of playing on any college roster: 18:1
Odds of playing on a Division 1 roster: 116:1
Football
Odds of playing on any college roster: 11:1
Odds of playing on a Division 1 roster: 36:1
Does playing travel ball improve these odds? Who knows. But one would have to ask if the odds listed above included players who have played travel ball…that would be interesting to know.
So, it may appear so, but the purpose of my story is not to discourage students from travel ball, or for setting a goal and working hard to meet the goal of possibly playing in college. There are many stories of kids who played travel ball and have gone on to highly successful careers in college. Some, if you talked to them, would not change anything about their path to college, or their playing experience in college. Like pursuing college academically, it is all virtually up to the student. Once on a college campus as a freshman, students must accept and mange well the responsibilities of attending class, studying, and managing their time and money. All of these are huge factors to an 18 year old student who may or may not have been away from his or her family for much time at all.
The bottom line is that the question of playing or not playing travel ball is a question that each player and family has to make. It becomes a decision of priorities for each family, and, in some cases, is a gamble if it is predicated on playing collegiately. Otherwise, if it is made for the love of the game, and parents want their kids to have the experiences of travel and playing a sport they love, that is certainly another proposition all together. After all, a monetary investment into an ACT tutor is perhaps the most cost-efficient and sure fire way of getting a child to college. At an average cost of $25 to $50 per hour for a tutor, the likelihood of getting a child’s ACT score up high enough to earn an academic scholarship is much greater than the cost of travel ball and the likelihood of securing an athletic scholarship. At $300 to $2000 per weekend for travel ball, that same amount of money will pay for a lot of hours of tutoring that will pay off, regardless if the child attends college, or attends college and plays college sports. So again, as a sports fan, and a parent who had a son play travel baseball, I would say that investing in an ACT tutor is the most predictable way to invest money in my child’s college future…certainly higher odds than the ones listed above to play college sports. If the goal is to go to college, academics is the most sure-fire way to get there. But that is the question….is the investment into travel ball for the child, or is it the dream of their parents for their sons or daughters to play on the big stage? That is a question that can only be answered honestly by each parent or athlete.
As a matter of full disclosure, I had a son that played travel baseball within the Little League organization for several years. And yes, there were many weekends that we would have the car packed with uniforms, equipment, food and drinks, and we would immediately leave after work on a Friday afternoon and go to a tournament where he would play Friday night, all day Saturday, and most of Sunday afternoon. We would then drive home, unpack, get cleaned up, and drag ourselves into bed to start the school / work week that would begin on Monday morning. And this was a routine we kept for most of the spring and summer. It was expensive, time consuming, and changed our priorities. Everything revolved around playing each weekend, and, in the end, he did not play college baseball. We certainly had great memories of watching him play, and I think he enjoyed playing. But, it was a big expense and took a lot of time away from his childhood. As a parent, I ask myself if it was worth it.
For everyone who has or is currently doing the routine I just described, that is certainly a question that I am sure they have asked themselves several times. And without a doubt, it is question that each player and family has to ask themselves, and that is up to each and every family.
Just a thought….is travel ball worth it?
