Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

Didn't see this posted. A youth football league in Odessa is having kids (actual kids) sign letters of intent.

  Quote

 

To deter coaches from courting players committed to teams, Matt drew up the letters to make the children’s loyalties known. Originally reserved for high school athletes committing to colleges, the National Letter of Intent, which started in 1964 with seven college conferences and eight independent institutions, now includes 657 Division I and II schools. In West Texas, it has migrated down to pre-kindergarten as the professionalization of youth sports trends younger and younger.

“The 4-year-olds play flag,” Matt said. “They can’t sign their name so they just scribble.”

 

Expand  

https://www.wsj.com/articles/youth-football-league-encourages-clear-eyes-full-hearts-clear-signatures-11545082829

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Posted

Is this for real? Because that’s the dumbest shit I’ve read today. The issue is the parents letting the kids change their minds. And those coaches wanting to do it for the attention

  • Like 1
Posted
  On 12/18/2018 at 8:17 PM, Kyle said:
Adults have really screwed up youth sports (Capt. Obvious). The world was better when kids played in city- or YMCA-sponsored leagues and could play 3-4 sports / year without having to specialize at age 5 (Get Off My Yard!).

That kind of nonsense is why I hope my kids decide to focus on school and not bother with any sports.
  • Like 2
Posted
  On 12/18/2018 at 8:33 PM, Jkwellborn said:


That kind of nonsense is why I hope my kids decide to focus on school and not bother with any sports.

Expand  

It's crazy how these teams and franchises talk parents into spending $5-$10K/year on pre-pubescent kids playing "select" sports. I have a friend who has been doing this since their sone was 6, and both parents are sub-5'6" ... it does not take a rocket scientist to realize unless he's the mailman's kid, he's not going to be big enough to be a decent high school or college player. If they would have saved all that cash, they would have had college paid for. I think most true experts agree well rounded athletes ultimately excel anyway above one-sport focued kids, but the guy pitching you the select team wants a bunch of your money and all of your kid's free time.

  • Like 2
Posted
  Quote

“We probably get more complaints in our flag than in any of our tackle,” Megan said. “We don’t tame it down any. So when these kids move up to midgets, they’re expected that you are going to get blocked. Some like it; some don’t. Some say it is more aggressive. We always tell them, ‘Well, it is an aggressive sport.’” 

Expand  

So, one of the divisions in this league is called "midgets?"

Posted
  On 12/18/2018 at 11:21 PM, CurlyDumps said:
  Quote
“We probably get more complaints in our flag than in any of our tackle,” Megan said. “We don’t tame it down any. So when these kids move up to midgets, they’re expected that you are going to get blocked. Some like it; some don’t. Some say it is more aggressive. We always tell them, ‘Well, it is an aggressive sport.’” 
So, one of the divisions in this league is called "midgets?"

They filming?
Posted
  On 12/18/2018 at 8:33 PM, Jkwellborn said:


That kind of nonsense is why I hope my kids decide to focus on school and not bother with any sports.

Expand  

Sports teach great life lessons, and are a great backdoor into the country's best colleges. You just have to help your kids learn to laugh at the psychos.

  • Like 1
Posted

When i used to work out there, guys would call into local radio shows and talk middle school football. 

‘So and so’s 7th grade team is going to win state one day, mark my words !’

Posted

So true....

Back in time when my son was a “T-Ball toddler” and I was a pharmaceutical rep, with perceived discretionary income, I was approached to see if my son would like to play on the following years “select” travel team. Ah, No!!!!

He could barely hit a ball of a tee, much less run to the correct base if contact was made!
In the outfield, he would pick flowers and chase butterflies, oblivious to a ball coming to him.

I guess it was Dad had perceived $$$ and could help pay for uniforms, hotels, and food.

Posted (edited)
  On 12/18/2018 at 11:46 PM, texifornia said:

Sports teach great life lessons, and are a great backdoor into the country's best colleges. You just have to help your kids learn to laugh at the psychos.

Expand  

I hear you but colleges today definitely reward kids that play a sport as part of their HS curriculum. I’m not talking about superstars playing scholarship sports in college. Colleges like to see a sport as a component of the HS experience and a great scholar who sticks with a sport, regardless of how they performed, will most likely get chosen over a great scholar with limited extracaricular activities.  

Edited by TreatyOak
Whoops! Tagged the wrong post! Meant to tag @JKWellborn Sorry, @texifornia and I agree with you
  • Like 3
Posted
  On 12/19/2018 at 1:08 AM, msucolt45 said:

So true....

Back in time when my son was a “T-Ball toddler” and I was a pharmaceutical rep, with perceived discretionary income, I was approached to see if my son would like to play on the following years “select” travel team. Ah, No!!!!

He could barely hit a ball of a tee, much less run to the correct base if contact was made!
In the outfield, he would pick flowers and chase butterflies, oblivious to a ball coming to him.

I guess it was Dad had perceived $$$ and could help pay for uniforms, hotels, and food.

Expand  

I can relate.  Back a few years ago when my oldest who is now 20 was in 4th or 5th grade is when the select ball thing started to go into overdrive around here and the owners of these teams started expanding their organizations.  It was also about the time the oil field really started it's first boom down here and if you wanted a job that paid some serious disposable income, this is where you were going to get it.   So yes I saw first hand some of these coaches REALLY court some of the parents of the kids who owned oil or  related companies with gusto.   We owned a company back then as well although not oil field related and one of the coaches was always trying to hit me up for a sponsorship which I'd brush him off.

He played on a team for one summer and fall and I said enough after that because it became a farce.  This coach started off with the right idea having one or two teams under his leadership and he did help mold some players who went on to play college and MLB, but the money thing got him crazy where formed so many teams, he couldn't coach them all and it became a crap shoot guessing who was going  to be the coach for the day.   And then when it came to weekend tourneys, he'd cancel on you at the last minute or on the flip side schedule something  if you didn't have one planned at the last minute and I said the heck with it after awhile.   Turns out it looks like he was shuffling money around to fund his "elite" teams at the expense of the novice teams.  And he isn't  the only one who does nonsense. 

I love baseball, but I'm glad my 18 year old stuck to football and basketball.   He contributed well enough to both those teams up through high school without playing on a pay to play select team or what have you.  He played in a couple of summer basketball leagues which lasted about 6 weeks with an unofficial high school team made up of his teammates and did some camps in both football and basketball.  He also did the 7 on 7 thing for football.   All relatively low cost compared to the select non sense.  The asses who coach high school baseball around here kind of encourage the select baseball thing along with the one sport non sense  and that's why I'm glad he avoided baseball like a plague. 

The sad thing is I know parents who probably spent enough on select league  baseball  and related expenses who if they would have put that same cash in a college fund earning some modest returns over the same period could have probably paid for huge chunk of their kid's college.  And some of these kids either quit baseball while in high school or didn't play one inning of college ball.  

  • Like 1
Posted
  On 12/19/2018 at 12:06 AM, Gene Parmesan said:

25 lottery winners that go to Stanford each year, but what about the rest?

Expand  

It's amazing to think of how the Cardinal have competed so well nationally over the past few decades in football, with such restrictions...

Posted

ITT. People bitching about how other people choose to spend their own hard earned money.  Everything’s a business anymore. Here in LA here see no more middle school sports. It’s all travel teams. When i coached in Florida our teams played football year round. Travel in spring. Pop warner in fall. Legit recruiting occurs. You see the kids separate from the pack   I’m sure I’ll get tore up for this post but this thread reminds me of what I read a few years ago 

“ Well I have a confession to make: I don’t pay for my kids to do sports. Personally, I couldn’t care less about what sport they do.

So, if I am not paying for football what am I paying for?

* I pay for those moments when my kids become so tired they want to quit but don’t;

* I pay for those days when my kids come home from school and are “too tired” to go to their training but they go anyway;

* I pay for my kids to learn to be disciplined, focused and dedicated;

* I pay for my kids to learn to take care of their body and equipment;

* I pay for my kids to learn to work with others and to be good team mates, gracious in defeat and humble in success;

* I pay for my kids to learn to deal with disappointment, when they don’t get that placing or title they’d hoped for, but still they go back week after week giving it their best shot;

* I pay for my kids to learn to make and accomplish goals;

* I pay for my kids to respect not only themselves, but other players, officials and coaches;

* I pay for my kids to learn that it takes hours and hours, years and years of hard work and practice to create a champion and that success does not happen overnight;

* I pay for my kids to be proud of small achievements, and to work towards long term goals;

* I pay for the opportunity my kids have and will have to make life-long friendships, create lifelong memories, to be as proud of their achievements as I am;

* I pay so that my kids can be out on the pitch instead of in front of an X-Box screen…

… I could go on but, to be short, I don’t pay for sports.

  • Like 1
Posted

You couldn’t be more wrong. No one here gives a damn how other people spend their money. We are bitching about how over zealous parents and coaches have absolutely ruined youth sports. They have made the sports simply about the adults and being able to brag about winning and how well their kids team is playing. Fuck that. It’s about the kids learning to play and enjoying that. Not practicing them 7 days a week for 3 hours a day.

  • Like 3
Posted

You can do select baseball without it being through expensive organizations and while letting your kid play multiple sports, but you have to be committed to it...b/c most of the options are profit motivated these days.  But the recruiting stuff is insane.  My son's (volunteer coached but competitive) team lost several kids after the spring last year and moved to an organization with paid coach (Austin).  I opted out on that to find a better fit, and the day I told the former coaches I fielded 4 calls from head coaches on other teams.

He's not some big kid that throws gas or hits bombs, he's just a good, skilled player.  He's also 10.  It's crazy.

 

Posted
  On 12/20/2018 at 3:58 PM, Jkwellborn said:

You couldn’t be more wrong. No one here gives a damn how other people spend their money. We are bitching about how over zealous parents and coaches have absolutely ruined youth sports. They have made the sports simply about the adults and being able to brag about winning and how well their kids team is playing. Fuck that. It’s about the kids learning to play and enjoying that. Not practicing them 7 days a week for 3 hours a day.

Expand  

Yep, and all of those things listed can be learned outside of sports.

Posted
  On 12/20/2018 at 4:21 PM, El Diablo said:
Yep, and all of those things listed can be learned outside of sports.

I thought about signing my son up for tball to burn some of his energy and let him decide if he wants to actually mess with baseball. I was told they play competitive tball now around here. I’m not sure if there’s anything that’s more ignorant than that. 4 year olds playing fucking competitive tball.
Posted
  On 12/20/2018 at 4:28 PM, Jkwellborn said:


I thought about signing my son up for tball to burn some of his energy and let him decide if he wants to actually mess with baseball. I was told they play competitive tball now around here. I’m not sure if there’s anything that’s more ignorant than that. 4 year olds playing fucking competitive tball.

Expand  

I agree with the idea of paying for sports for kids if that's what the guy spending the money wants to do with his money. But yeah, the money grab that it has become and the need for, jmho, competition to feed the parents egos is a bit much for me.

The answer of course is to find likeminded folks and have a cheap, fun, disorganized GAME. For the kids. My son loved basketball, he played in a local church league. It was cheap and it scratched the itch. No surprise, he was not the next LeBron James.

Posted
  On 12/24/2018 at 2:59 AM, kopp0e said:

This is pretty cool that this young man is flourishing in accomplishing his goals..!

 

Expand  

Good for him and his team.

If this had been the NCAA they would have found some way to rule him ineligible and make Aledo forfeit.  Of course it would be six years after the fact before the ruling came down. 

Posted

Everything in this thread can be applied to youth hockey in the north. There are people spending $12k/yr on equipment, summer camps, travel, etc for their jr high kid. They literally can't take family vacations because they can't miss some event.

Sports teach great lessons, no doubt. But so does getting a job. Buy a mower and weed whacker and post on Craigslist. Instead of wasting $12k learning those lessons, go MAKE $12k learning those lessons.

  • Like 1
Posted
  On 12/18/2018 at 10:38 PM, Kyle said:

It's crazy how these teams and franchises talk parents into spending $5-$10K/year on pre-pubescent kids playing "select" sports. I have a friend who has been doing this since their sone was 6, and both parents are sub-5'6" ... it does not take a rocket scientist to realize unless he's the mailman's kid, he's not going to be big enough to be a decent high school or college player. If they would have saved all that cash, they would have had college paid for. I think most true experts agree well rounded athletes ultimately excel anyway above one-sport focued kids, but the guy pitching you the select team wants a bunch of your money and all of your kid's free time.

Expand  

The Altuve effect

Posted
  On 12/18/2018 at 2:12 AM, The Golden Hat said:

Didn't see this posted. A youth football league in Odessa is having kids (actual kids) sign letters of intent.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/youth-football-league-encourages-clear-eyes-full-hearts-clear-signatures-11545082829

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Expand  

Wouldn't this be easily resolved by assigning football teams based on school boundaries?

  • Like 1

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...