No more opinions; let's talk FACTS. The numbers don't lie. Travel Baseball is NOT doing what it promised everyone it would.

Travel coaches across the nation promise the best training at the best facilities for the best chance at your kid playing baseball to the best of their ability. However, the truth is that it's all a bunch of marketing BS. 

Sure, they'll also include some things about "having fun" and "playing against the best to become the best"—and maybe there is some anecdotal value in increasing the quality of competition overall. However, the value delivered isn't anywhere near the cost you pay.

Thousands in league fees, hundreds for extra uniforms, forced facility memberships, hours of driving time every week, and countless  decreased paychecks lost due to time off work. Add in the hotel stays, the extra lessons, the unnecessary overpriced team gear, and the Bufalo Wild Wings dinners - and you have yourself what we call a RIP-OFF !!!!

You're the only person that can decide what's best for your kid and what you want them to receive, but let's be honest for a minute and talk about what kids are NOT getting: 

• Kids are not getting any better at baseball.
• Kids are not receiving more scholarships.
• Kids are not given more college opportunities.
• Kids are not staying in baseball longer.

These are critical factors in evaluating if kids are getting value out of travel baseball. Kids are not getting into college baseball any more than before, and kids are not drafted into professional baseball any more than before. 

There is always value in the experience of playing, in the joy of the game. But that's a net zero because other programs out there offer the same (and arguably more) fun playing the same game for a hell of a lot less money and stress. 

Let's dive into the numbers real quick. Assuming kids start at about 6u with Tee Ball, here's how the numbers track, on average, year over year. As you can see, the numbers are essentially the same as they were in 2000. Note, you'll see a minor uptick from 1.33% to 2% in collegiate play retention, but when you consider that there is estimated to be approximately 900 teams added at the collegiate level, you'll start to wonder why there's only been a .67% increase in retention at that level.

Now, let's look at when Travel Baseball even started: Travel baseball began gaining traction in the early to mid-1990s but became a widespread trend during the 2000s, particularly as families sought competitive opportunities beyond recreational leagues.

More importantly, travel teams have skyrocketed injuries due to overuse and bad training. Kids are expected to play in 3-7 games in any given weekend, sometimes in nearly 100 competitions in a year, hyper focused on only weekend play. This exaperates the issues of overuse without downtime, and its even worse on pitchers. 

There has been a reported increase of 70,000 injuries every year since travel baseball's rise. That's sickening. Even worse, 57% of all Tommy John surgeries are performed on youth - that's up from only 7% before travel baseball poisoned things. 

But I get it - parents love to stay at hotels drinking while their kids are getting pushed to the limit of athletic ability more than a college or professional athlete would ever be expected.

Think about it, a D1 athlete plays in approximately 50 games in an entire season. A professional pitcher is expected to only pitch ONCE every 5-7 days. But today we have 12 year olds with parents that think it's OK, and sometimes preferred, to play in almost 100 games in only 4 months, and have little Johnny pitch in 2-3 games in one weekend. 

If that's you - congrats - you're what's wrong with youth baseball today.

Sorry - let's get back to the data. To align all of this, we need to do a quick breakdown of travel baseball growth timeline:

Early to Mid-1990s: Beginnings

• Origins: The foundation of travel baseball stemmed from the desire for year-round, competitive play. Leagues like AAU Baseball and USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association) began organizing competitive tournaments.
• Focus: Elite teams aimed to prepare players for high school and college baseball.

2000s: Rapid Expansion

• Mainstream Popularity: Travel baseball started to replace traditional Little League for many families, particularly in regions where competition was fierce and the "keep up with the Joneses" attitude was prominent.
• Tournament Boom: Organizations like Perfect Game and Baseball Factory began hosting large-scale tournaments and showcases, claiming to draw scouts and colleges.
• Parental Investment: Parents became increasingly willing to invest time and money in travel teams, seeing them as essential for exposure to higher-level competition and recruitment.

2010s: Dominance

• Professionalization: Travel baseball became a structured industry with private organizations, specialized training facilities, and dedicated travel leagues.
• Specialization: Despite widespread discouragement by professional coaches and players, young players began focusing solely on baseball year-round, with travel teams often overshadowing local recreational leagues in terms of participation and visibility.

2020s: Established Norm

• Travel baseball is now the dominant format for youth players who hope to compete at the highest levels.
• Criticism: Rising costs and concerns about burnout, overuse injuries, and exclusivity have led to debates about the impact of travel baseball on the sport's inclusivity and player development.

Key Milestones for Travel Baseball’s Rise:

1. 1994: USSSA adds baseball as a major competitive sport.
2. 2000s: Perfect Game and similar organizations introduce national showcases and rankings.
3. 2005-2010: Travel baseball overtakes recreational leagues in terms of competitiveness for aspiring athletes.
4. 2020s: Travel baseball is perceived as an integral part of elite player development.

This timeline aligns with broader trends in youth sports, where specialization and competitive travel programs became more common across sports like soccer, basketball, and hockey. We don't support year round play in any sport, but as a baseball league, we're reserving our opinions to just youth baseball. 

Here's the thing... I've been saying for years that Travel Baseball isn't delivering on it's promise, and the numbers support this position:

Despite the rise of travel baseball as a dominant trend over the past few decades, the percentages of players advancing to collegiate or professional levels have remained largely consistent. Even worse, the increase in injury and expense has made travel baseball a poison for those involved. Even for those that swear by it - the truth is - they're either lying to themselves AND their kids, or they are too gullible to see the truth. 

In an attempt at a conclusion of an issue I could talk for days about:

The data proves that travel baseball is not positively impacting overall success rates in terms of college readiness or professional opportunities.

Key Insights from the Data:

1. College Readiness:

   • The percentage of high school players advancing to college baseball has remained around 7-9% for decades, despite the growth of travel baseball.
   • This indicates that while travel baseball may offer more opportunities for total games played, it hasn’t increased the overall proportion of players advancing to college programs.

2. Professional Opportunities:

   • The percentage of high school and college players who are drafted into professional baseball has stayed around 0.5%, showing no significant shift attributable to the rise of travel baseball.
   • MLB scouts and teams still focus on a player's raw talent, work ethic, and performance, regardless of their participation in travel leagues.

3. Attrition Rates:

   • Across all levels (6U to MLB), the attrition rates in baseball have remained consistent over time, indicating that the travel baseball system hasn’t substantially reduced the dropout rate or improved retention in the sport.

4. Economic and Opportunity Costs:

   • Travel baseball requires significant financial investment from families. If the outcomes regarding college and professional opportunities remain unchanged, the return on investment (ROI) for most players and families isn't only questionable, it's regrettable. What's worse, the lies about its success still echo—and the coaches are raking it in because people believe them.
5. Health Risks:
   • Across all youth levels, when reviewing the reportable injuries, surgeries, and sustained health issues, physical health among baseball players has gotten worse since the rise of travel baseball and continues to grow due to a lack of proper training and management of things like arm usage and proper rest. 

TLDR:

The evidence proves that travel baseball is not working as intended to produce more college-ready or professional-level players. While it offers individual opportunities for some athletes (the ones that we're always gonna get them anyways), it hasn’t shifted any success rates. Systemic factors like talent, dedication, and commitment to a training regimen are more critical determinants of advancement than simple participation in travel baseball.

And there is absolutely ZERO reason to believe that those raffles you make your friends buy so your kid can wear a different uniform on Sunday will EVER be of any value... at all. So yeah, not only are parents getting ripped off, but they are ripping off your friends and family, too.

Families and organizations should critically assess whether the substantial financial and time investments in travel baseball align with their goals, given that broader outcomes have not improved.