eclipse09 wrote:Coach_Larry wrote:I don't see it as necessarily negative. I think that well organized B leagues should be able to do an excellent job of providing an alternative to low level travel ball. Many of them have the infrastructure and resources needed to make such a team successful. I don't look at it as the big leagues having an advantage over the small leagues if well executed. I see it as a chance for the big leagues to finally maximize what they have built, and to capitalize on their demographic. It will also bring in better coaching to the league, and set goals for younger players. All of this while still playing ball with your schoolmates; doesn't sound half bad.
I am not buying it. Well organized leagues are already taking care of the skilled player. Rec has always been a place where friends play together. Now they can play together on rec teams and then separate on Sundays when the select player heads off to her friendlies. Should be a fun dynamic and of course parents will just love it.
The same group of parents who hate everything, will hate this too. At 12U +, this is absolutely necessary, in my opinion. Many kids are playing their last year of softball (read HARDball), and are barely there anyway. It's brutal for the kids who want to have a chance to play HS ball someday, but still need or want to play community ball. All of the negative dynamics of this program are already in existence, and will not go away anytime soon. Is this really much different, in substance, than split rec divisions?