Top recruit daring OHSAA to suspend him

No financial compensation all they get is the exposure from being on the circuits no different than a kid going to OTE right now and opting not to get paid to keep their college eligibility. They are receiving free merchandise and products for their AAU organizations not the company themselves which the uniform and shoes are a requirement to be apart of the team.
So, I can get my expensive fees for AAU paid for by who knows who and get free stuff, including travel, lodging, meals, and apparel, but I can't have an "agent" give me the same stuff for the sake of exposure.

You're absolutely right, none of this is a scam at all.
 
So, I can get my expensive fees for AAU paid for by who knows who and get free stuff, including travel, lodging, meals, and apparel, but I can't have an "agent" give me the same stuff for the sake of exposure.

You're absolutely right, none of this is a scam at all.
Just the business way of AAU world right now
 
I'm well aware which is one of many reasons it's all complete BS and not beneficial at all for well over 95% of kids.
AAU itself the games the travel getting to play against the best from other cities and states and even countries is beneficial for most part but the business side of it is not
 
And as far as baseball and softball goes, no one is being recruited off of school ball. If you want to play in college, you have to play travel ball.
I beg to differ. If a kid is throwing in the 90’s in his high school games, and does not play travel ball, he will get found and recruited. Same goes for a girl throwing in the high 60’s.

I know of 3 athletes who never played travel ball and got scholarships. Saved their arms A LOT of innings, something the next level coaches loved.

If you would have said “not many” can get recruited off of school ball instead of “no one” I wouldn’t have even responded.
 
The way you guys argue against reality and pat yourselves on the back for being wrong is truly amazing to watch. Ok sure AAU/travel isnt important, doesnt have any value and all the parents are complicit dummies. Got it
 
Had two boys play AAU. I knew they were probably not going to get offers playing AAU. They were above average players nothing that would have a scout salivating. Even paid for one son to go to some showcases etc... Did my kids improve? Yeah they always used AAU to get better at whatever was lacking in their game. Did they get Scholarship offers? No at least not for basketball.

Did I waste my money on AAU and Showcases because my boys did not get Scholarships? No. They got an experience, met people they probably never would have met otherwise, made friends with some of those same people, learned how to deal with people from vastly different backgrounds than they are around daily, had to prove themselves to complete strangers, and had fun doing it. In all they gained a lot of life lessons playing on that circuit. Things you can't really put a price on.
 
Did I waste my money on AAU and Showcases because my boys did not get Scholarships? No. They got an experience, met people they probably never would have met otherwise, made friends with some of those same people, learned how to deal with people from vastly different backgrounds than they are around daily, had to prove themselves to complete strangers, and had fun doing it. In all they gained a lot of life lessons playing on that circuit. Things you can't really put a price on.
You can get that from Boy Scouts.
 
You can get that from Boy Scouts.
They were scouts too. With a bunch of other suburban kids who looked and acted just like the rest of their local community. It’s funny people tend to grow more when they expand their horizons outside of their little bubble. You should try it sometime. BTW unless you are going for Eagle Scout Boy Scouts is an even more waste of time and money than any club sport.
 
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It’s funny people tend to grow more when they expand their horizons outside of their little bubble. You should try it sometime.
I do. I respond to idiots on here.

BTW unless you are going for Eagle Scout Boy Scouts is an even more waste of time and money than any club sport.
So your kids didn't reach Eagle, eh? IOW, they failed and quit. Which is to say they probably learned a lot about themselves.
 
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They were scouts too. With a bunch of other suburban kids who looked and acted just like the rest of their local community. It’s funny people tend to grow more when they expand their horizons outside of their little bubble. You should try it sometime. BTW unless you are going for Eagle Scout Boy Scouts is an even more waste of time and money than any club sport.
Youre talking to a racist sweetie he wouldnt understand
 
Responding to posts at almost 4:00A.M. Must be a slow night cleaning tables at the Waffle House.
I do. I respond to idiots on here.
Then why did you respond to me, if you only respond to idiots? Wish my and my kids' standards were so low that we considered interacting on a high school sports message board expanding our horizons. Glad they got out of the house and learned interpersonal skill face to face.
So your kids didn't reach Eagle, eh? IOW, they failed and quit. Which is to say they probably learned a lot about themselves.
They did learn something, just going through the motions doing something you don't enjoy is not fair to them or the other people taking it serious. So instead of wasting their time and other people's time they moved on. Maybe that was a lesson you should have learned at some point. You probably wouldn't be this bitter old guy wasting people's time being contrarian on a message board.
 
Had two boys play AAU. I knew they were probably not going to get offers playing AAU. They were above average players nothing that would have a scout salivating. Even paid for one son to go to some showcases etc... Did my kids improve? Yeah they always used AAU to get better at whatever was lacking in their game. Did they get Scholarship offers? No at least not for basketball.

Did I waste my money on AAU and Showcases because my boys did not get Scholarships? No. They got an experience, met people they probably never would have met otherwise, made friends with some of those same people, learned how to deal with people from vastly different backgrounds than they are around daily, had to prove themselves to complete strangers, and had fun doing it. In all they gained a lot of life lessons playing on that circuit. Things you can't really put a price on.
It sounds like you had a great understanding and realistic expectations of what AAU can provide to kids, but most parents don't understand this reality. Families make huge sacrifices financially, not seeing their families, time, etc. I still have a hard time believing the sacrifices are beneficial for 95% (probably 99%) of families that will not be playing d1 or d2 basketball or baseball. I would like to see club ball go back to the old American Legion baseball model. Again I am dating myself
 
It sounds like you had a great understanding and realistic expectations of what AAU can provide to kids, but most parents don't understand this reality. Families make huge sacrifices financially, not seeing their families, time, etc. I still have a hard time believing the sacrifices are beneficial for 95% (probably 99%) of families that will not be playing d1 or d2 basketball or baseball. I would like to see club ball go back to the old American Legion baseball model. Again I am dating myself
I would say it's good for 95% of the kids participating. If the kids and family are willing to make the sacrifices needed to be able to participate they are ahead of the game. Seeing you have parents that believe in you enough to make those sacrifices and choosing to make the commitment to spend your weekends playing a sport instead of hanging out can instill some good values in a young kid. I remember when my youngest stopped playing AAU in high school and on Mothers day said "this is the first Mother's day we were not in a gym in a long time." He knew what we sacrificed for him and his brother all those years.

It is a very small amount of kids and families that are expecting a gold pot at the end of the AAU/Travel Ball rainbow. Unfortunately those are the ones you hear about. Most do it to because their kids want to do it. You know the old saying nothing ventured nothing gained, who knows maybe a few of these kids will get that scholarship that the family didn't expect.

Even of they got rid of all of these teams, leagues and tournaments those are still the same parents and kids complaining about the high school coach, teams, transferring etc... Anyone who has had a kid participate in sports sees at least one of these families on every team their kids played on. I agree there are a lot of suspect organizations and coaches on these circuits as we know that is part of anything where money can be made.
 
I would say it's good for 95% of the kids participating. If the kids and family are willing to make the sacrifices needed to be able to participate they are ahead of the game. Seeing you have parents that believe in you enough to make those sacrifices and choosing to make the commitment to spend your weekends playing a sport instead of hanging out can instill some good values in a young kid. I remember when my youngest stopped playing AAU in high school and on Mothers day said "this is the first Mother's day we were not in a gym in a long time." He knew what we sacrificed for him and his brother all those years.
Again I would argue that this can be accomplished through local rec leagues all the way up to freshman year, then after that when kids start to develop and we know what their adult bodies are going to look like and function, specialized club sports start to play a roll, but I am beating a dead horse. My belief system in a nutshell- all kids should play multiple sports as youth through the local rec, practice sports on their own and engage in free play around the neighborhood (no padded football until 7th grade). But if parents want to spend stupid amounts of time and money they are welcome to it.
 
Again I would argue that this can be accomplished through local rec leagues all the way up to freshman year, then after that when kids start to develop and we know what their adult bodies are going to look like and function, specialized club sports start to play a roll, but I am beating a dead horse. My belief system in a nutshell- all kids should play multiple sports as youth through the local rec,
I don't think we are far apart in our opinions. I have seen both options work out for kids and vice versa.
practice sports on their own and engage in free play around the neighborhood (no padded football until 7th grade). But if parents want to spend stupid amounts of time and money they are welcome to it.
That right there is a big differentiator for any school age athlete. doesn't matter how much time you put in with the team it is the time you take out to practice on your own that can make a difference.
 
There's a lot of talk on here about "the experience" and "the sacrifice" about playing club/AAU. This is all about living vicariously through your kids, keeping up with the Joneses, and the Fear of Missing Out. People are gullible, followers, and will do anything to make themselves appear better than they really are, and so many people are writing exactly that without realizing it..... because they have truly convinced themselves otherwise. They have convinced themselves that paying all the money, traveling to different suburban parks and schools, and buying the absolute best (extremely overpriced) equipment is doing wonders for their kid and family. You are overpaying for gear & swag (because everyone has to match), you are overpaying for lodging (because you have to book through the tournament company, who really jacks up the rate), you are constantly buying new equipment because little Jimmy or Suzie has to have the same thing or better as one of their teammates, and these parents eat it all up. I'm thoroughly convinced these leagues are more for the parents than the kids.

Now, que up all the people saying.... Not me and My kids
 
There's a lot of talk on here about "the experience" and "the sacrifice" about playing club/AAU. This is all about living vicariously through your kids, keeping up with the Joneses, and the Fear of Missing Out. People are gullible, followers, and will do anything to make themselves appear better than they really are, and so many people are writing exactly that without realizing it..... because they have truly convinced themselves otherwise. They have convinced themselves that paying all the money, traveling to different suburban parks and schools, and buying the absolute best (extremely overpriced) equipment is doing wonders for their kid and family. You are overpaying for gear & swag (because everyone has to match), you are overpaying for lodging (because you have to book through the tournament company, who really jacks up the rate), you are constantly buying new equipment because little Jimmy or Suzie has to have the same thing or better as one of their teammates, and these parents eat it all up. I'm thoroughly convinced these leagues are more for the parents than the kids.

Now, que up all the people saying.... Not me and My kids
FWIW, my kids never played AAU, club, etc. I guess my only question is… Why do you think you know these people better than they know themselves? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the supreme self confidence you’re exhibiting here in judging the motivations of others.
 
There's a lot of talk on here about "the experience" and "the sacrifice" about playing club/AAU. This is all about living vicariously through your kids, keeping up with the Joneses, and the Fear of Missing Out. People are gullible, followers, and will do anything to make themselves appear better than they really are, and so many people are writing exactly that without realizing it..... because they have truly convinced themselves otherwise. They have convinced themselves that paying all the money, traveling to different suburban parks and schools, and buying the absolute best (extremely overpriced) equipment is doing wonders for their kid and family. You are overpaying for gear & swag (because everyone has to match), you are overpaying for lodging (because you have to book through the tournament company, who really jacks up the rate), you are constantly buying new equipment because little Jimmy or Suzie has to have the same thing or better as one of their teammates, and these parents eat it all up. I'm thoroughly convinced these leagues are more for the parents than the kids.

Now, que up all the people saying.... Not me and My kids
Sheesh youre just a miserable person its not that deep. So much inferior complex in this post for no reason. There are tournaments in the middle of nowhere too if that makes you feel better.
 
FWIW, my kids never played AAU, club, etc. I guess my only question is… Why do you think you know these people better than they know themselves? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the supreme self confidence you’re exhibiting here in judging the motivations of others.
It's in what they have said. The complete ignorance about the recruiting process in claiming it's how things are done. It's the self importance about "Not me, my experience was different." It's all just the same excuses trying to justify spending years and crap-loads of money on something that they actually didn't benefit from. The "benefits" listed here could have been attained by playing rec, playing multiple sports, or a different activity all together.
 
The rec ball suggestion is hilgariously shortsighted. So we are going to take opportunities away from kids in the community who arent talented for HS or travel so kids who could be testing themselves against better competition can dominate the ball, etc. Genuis
 
The rec ball suggestion is hilgariously shortsighted. So we are going to take opportunities away from kids in the community who arent talented for HS or travel so kids who could be testing themselves against better competition can dominate the ball, etc. Genuis
Club and AAU has already taken away most rec opportunities. Try to find a rec ball league for a 10 or 11 year old and you will see what I am talking about. The opportunities simply aren't there, because everyone thinks they are better than they are and everyone has to play club now.
 
There's a lot of talk on here about "the experience" and "the sacrifice" about playing club/AAU. This is all about living vicariously through your kids, keeping up with the Joneses, and the Fear of Missing Out. People are gullible, followers, and will do anything to make themselves appear better than they really are, and so many people are writing exactly that without realizing it..... because they have truly convinced themselves otherwise. They have convinced themselves that paying all the money, traveling to different suburban parks and schools, and buying the absolute best (extremely overpriced) equipment is doing wonders for their kid and family. You are overpaying for gear & swag (because everyone has to match), you are overpaying for lodging (because you have to book through the tournament company, who really jacks up the rate), you are constantly buying new equipment because little Jimmy or Suzie has to have the same thing or better as one of their teammates, and these parents eat it all up. I'm thoroughly convinced these leagues are more for the parents than the kids.

Now, que up all the people saying.... Not me and My kids
What you are describing is a small percentage of families that have kids in AAU/club sports. As I said before these are the same parents that would still be doing all of that if their kid only played school sports. That's an attitude those kind people have.

If I was trying to live vicariously through my kids I would have signed them up for rec and watched them dominate the lesser talented kids instead of watching them work and sometimes fail against better talent.
 
It's in what they have said. The complete ignorance about the recruiting process in claiming it's how things are done. It's the self importance about "Not me, my experience was different." It's all just the same excuses trying to justify spending years and crap-loads of money on something that they actually didn't benefit from. The "benefits" listed here could have been attained by playing rec, playing multiple sports, or a different activity all together.
AAU gets these kids in front of more eyes. Honestly the coverage by people online is way better than most local high school coverage.

Small schools with smaller budgets show up at these tournaments all the time. They can see 100 kids play in a day as opposed to 20 a night at a high school game. Some kid catches their eye they then go to the high school tape.

Your biggest complaint seems to be about the money other people spend. My only answer to that is if they are happy spending it and the kids are happy why complain. It didn't come out of your pocket. They could be doing worse with their money.

What's your opinion on schools with Pay to Play? Are parents wasting their money if their kid goes to a school that has a terrible football, basketball or baseball team? All that gas to the away games the equipment they need to play the sport? Maybe hotel and travel if the team is playing in an out of state tournament? Don't forget the time they take to get their kid to practice when they can't drive or stick around for the JV and varsity game when they play freshman. What about going to the varsity football game on Friday then the JV game on Saturday?
 
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