I know I may be stepping out on a limb a bit here, but I find these youth baseball tournaments to be stupid. Often, they seem more like a vanity project for shallow parents and coaches to boast on social media rather than a platform for genuine player development.
It’s hard not to notice how these tournaments turn into a parade of bragging rights for parents and coaches. The focus shifts from nurturing young talent into flaunting victory counts and trophy collections. Is this really what we should care about?
As a coach, my primary goal in travel baseball is to give my players meaningful repetitions that aid their growth and skill development. I find that the intense competition and grueling schedules contradict this objective. Is it really beneficial to have a 9-year-old throw 90 pitches on back-to-back days just to win a cheap, Chinese plastic ring that will end up in a landfill in 6 months?
What’s the real cost to these tournaments? Are we improving the players’ skills and love for the game? Are we risking their long-term health and enthusiasm for short-lived wins? Does the 9th player on my roster benefit from less ABs and more bench time? Are any of my players more likely to make a competitive high school team in five years? Does it even help them for Little League All-Stars at this age?
I think its important to have a dialogue with your team’s parents about the true purpose of your travel ball team. What are your real goals? Are we nurturing future talent or inadvertently prioritizing victories over development?
Believe me, I get that this looks like “hey, this guy is a self-proclaimed mediocre coach, of course he doesn’t like tournaments, he’s not competitive.” Maybe that’s true – we’re certainly trying to win and stay competitive, but not at the expense of my players future versions of themselves. What do you guys think?