Excuse the rant.
I was born in 1989 and watched baseball in the 90’s when Cal Ripken set a record for consecutive games played in the thousands. I watched players like Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs successfully demolish records without bat flipping. Baseball was about scoring more runs than the other team. Now it feels like, at least at the youth level, we are celebrating individual accomplishments more than the team’s. Travel baseball requires parents to drive a few hours and pay a lot of money to watch their son or daughter play the game. Because of that, they hope to see that specific kid play well. If not, most likely it would have been an unsuccessful trip. Who cares if the team does well, if their kid performs poorly it was a waste of a weekend. This is what baseball is starting to become.
What I’m starting to fear travel ball is promoting is each and every kid needs to worry about their own stats more than how the team performs. Baseball, a game played with 8 other kids on the field, is a game where every person can contribute in ways that never show on the box score. You could have zero hits in a game and still make a diving catch to win. Unfortunately, the routine play isn’t Instagram worthy. You can’t just make the play, it needs to be viral. With some travel ball coaches choosing to make the lineups based on previous statistics, it’s no wonder kids are starting to adapt. Tournaments provide a post game report on each game and shout out individual accomplishments. This isn’t your local paper once in a while, this is an every weekend routine with tournaments being played year round. Can anyone tell me why 8 year old’s have to be reminded what their batting average is after every game? Did they specifically ask for those stats? If not, then who is it really for?
Since when did we start keeping batting averages this early? These underdeveloped young kids are learning the lesson that you better raise the average right now or you won’t play next game. Does that sound like long term development to you? Are these 8 year old’s playing for a world series ring? Not the plastic rings you get for a weekend tournament, the kind that is made with real diamonds that you earn by playing the best players in the world. Will they even want to play baseball long enough to compete for a world series ring if this is the type of environment baseball is for them?
My concern is that kids are learning that your statistics matter more than the team’s. If you go 4-4 and your team loses by 8, you did good. If you go 0-4 and your team wins 3-1, you did poorly. This form of affirmation can only lead to further problems as that player progresses through the ranks and gets to higher levels. I’ve seen this type player in minor league baseball. The team is up by 5, they strike out, they come into the dugout and throw their helmet and break their bat in the hallway because THEY are struggling. Who cares what the team is doing, I didn’t do what I wanted to do so I get to be mad. Meanwhile, the team is on fire and having one of the best games of the year. It’s selfish and it starts way before minor league baseball. At that point, who could blame them? They’ve been in a rat race since diapers and this is the product.
I’ll end this rant with a question:
Why does that kid HAVE to be good right now?
Great athletes from other sports get drafted into pro baseball every year. How is it that the kid that only plays football in high school gets drafted higher than the kid that played travel ball his whole life? Tens of thousands of dollars spent on travel baseball with yelling and fighting and disappointment just so the running back that runs a 6.4 60-yard time can come out his senior year and get drafted higher. My point is it’s not that big of a deal yet. Please, can we shift the focus from what that one kid does to how to the team performed? Let’s pick each kid up when they fail and teach them that there are plenty of ways to contribute besides the box score. If you strike out, go tell your teammates what you saw at the plate. If you miss a fly ball, get ready to pick the team up next at bat at the plate. Learn to get over mistakes quicker so your team doesn’t spend 15 minutes cheering you up in the dugout. In essence, learn to be valuable DESPITE your box score!
BE A GREAT TEAMMATE!
Peak Sports Performance 