Sam, that's an interesting analogy, but from my angle the college coaches are the johns and the travel ball coaches/orgs are the pimps.
The Golden Rule: He who has the gold makes the rules.
The college coaches have the gold - the verbal, the scholarship, the entry onto the hallowed field. Without that - no TB teams, no TB orgs. All you have is wreck ball and then maybe daddy travel ball and college softball for love of the game, not an industry designed to suck the money out of parental checking accounts (or credit cards).
Both DDs had significant (> 75%) offers in their soph years. Both chose to wait. One until summer after junior year as the school needed junior transcripts for a facilitated admissions decision, the other got the call from the Dean of Admissions on October 8th of her senior year - the first batch of early decisions. Both got less where they ended up going, one a lot less. Both attended their dream schools.
I remember younger DD, first visit, got offered 85% with a 5th year if she needed it. She said on the spot she wasn't ready. She and DW were rather floored the offer was made. By the time we got home, college coach had spoken with TB coach and DD got grilled that the train was leaving the station, if she didn't take the offer she wouldn't play in college. She said it felt like a cop show interrogation. Needless to say we didn't return to that team the following season.
Mostly I agree with Sam. I think what bothers me most is what borders on physical abuse, especially pitchers. Why do you think Pac12 plays their 3 game series over 3 days? So they can ride their aces. They did that to DD1's team mate - forearm stress fractures. She needed surgery every summer to remove enough scar tissue so she could do it all over the following year. Earlier in this thread, the subject's pitching coach laments the TB coach pitching her constantly during show cases to attract an audience. College coaches watching beget parents of the better players watching and get those DDs on their team. Just not right.
Anyway, rambling again. I just want these girls to not have the joints (shoulders and knees mostly) of 70 year olds at 30 when their DDs want them to play catch with them. I think the wear and tear these girls have endured by the time they even set foot on a college campus these days is unnatural and unhealthy.
I also wish this young lady good health and to be the next Kelani. I also hope that parents out there will be parents and not allow their DDs to be physically abused.
My $0.02.
