DesertDuck posted:My son has been getting consistent emails from ND (& other major university's) for the past 2 years. Each one urging him to 'come to their prospect camp' so they can work with him, see him play etc. Every one states that a certain large % of their current players were discovered at 'their camps' They all imply that they have either seen him play or someone has recommended him to them as a potential prospect/student athlete (complete bullsh*t-they got his name/email off 'a list' that they bought...probably from PG).
IMHO, this is nothing more than a marketing ploy to get the unsuspecting kid and his parents to write $400 camp checks knowing full well it's only going to be used to line their pockets and subsidize the AC's salaries. I have absolutely NO problem having them called out here (or anywhere) for what they truly are. A bunch of low-life con-men that prey on the hopes & dreams of kids and parents with aspirations to play college baseball at the highest levels. If some of these coaches actually take the time to address the kids and parents at the camp and give them the 'skinny' on how it all works? Good for them! If they decide it's more important to walk around drinking coffee and eating donuts, ignoring the parents and kids then by all means......Post it here!
Took me a little while to figure it all out, glad I finally did-with a lot of help and info from this website. I guess the other option would have been to pay some clown-show recruiting company thousands to put me on a slower learning curve?
This crap won't stop until the parents eventually get wise and if this site can help those parents of young baseball players figure it out quicker? More power to all involved!
Infielddad: you say this site shouldn't be the avenue to call out coaches that don't provide any value for $400 camp checks? I say it's EXACTLY the avenue for that! I believe it's here to help parents navigate the process in a meaningful way so they learn as much as they can as quick as they can about a brutal endeavor that will put a HUGE dent in their bank accounts if their not careful and educated (JMHO).
Perhaps we should start a 'sticky' thread where we can all give opinions of value on college prospect camps? Which ones to attend and which ones to AVOID!
I appreciate your input here, Duck. I think you are on to something. If coaches/programs know parents/athletes are sick of the hard sell and see attendance decline (and revenue) as a result, perhaps they will change their approach. Nah...just kidding. They won't change anything because there will always be someone who is uninformed and willing to buy into the dream.