Spazsdad wrote:LADAWG44 wrote: With how much information is available online about teams and coaches, I think it's dumb not to know what level team and coaching parents are committing their DDs to.
You are taking your experience and extrapolating. Believe me plenty of parents have no idea about the ins and outs of TB and only have cursory info they hear around the park, especially at the younger ages. Most people have no idea about eteamz, HB, etc, so where is this info?.
Extrapolating...thank you for today's vocabulary word. Those parents may not know travelball or HB like I didn't but they know Google. That's how I found HB. If folks aren't researching and asking questions about who they are entrusting their DDs then they have bigger issues. I think the percentage of parents who have no idea is a small minority especially in So Cal.
College coaches know which teams and coaches are legit.
Again far from the truth. Many coaches are expressing frustration about not knowing who these teams are, who the coaches are, or what types of players they roster. This goes for others, not just FC.
Like you said this may be a bigger travel ball issue than it is an FC issue.
If your family and DD is a fit for a team and it's coaches then what difference does it make what uniform she wears?
Is she going to have a better opportunity to get recruited because she's wearing a Firecracker uniform vs OC Pitch N Hit? Uniforms don't make a difference in recruiting anymore.
Once again way off base if you don't think the name on the jersey carries any weight in recruiting you are sadly mistaken. If it didn't then there wouldn't be organizations with 50, 75, or over 100 teams paying to wear the name.
College coaches show up to tournaments or showcases with a plan in place and which kids they are interested in watching.
And they still gravitate to the big names based on past performance of those athletes.
My point exactly! Coaches and families gravitate to the teams based on past performances. Look at tryouts section there are plenty FC teams that are still looking for players. Isn't this a testament to families knowing the difference between which teams are more competitive?
This sport is a business, every top tier organization has some sponsorship with a large sporting goods type company or organization (Easton, Mizuno, Louisville Slugger, PGF, TCS, EM etc), I think it's naive to think that those top tier organization leaders are not making a good living off of this sport in some way or another.
The numbers getting rich, or even making a living of the sport is minuscule, in fact some are pouring tens of thousands of dollars into their teams. guys like Conroy and Griggs for example.
I didn't say all travel ball coaches are getting rich or making a living. We are talking about the "top tier" folks. There are always exceptions to the rule.
Look at PGF and their board members. How much are they making annually though Surf City, camps, qualifiers and nationals? it's easier for Tony to be a target because he's making his in a much more visible manor.
Visible or exorbitant in the eyes of some?
It maybe exorbitant but last I checked this is a free market and like the article says its the coaches and teams that are approaching TR. Would you do it any different?