This thread has been very interesting for me to read as my son is involved with "political" issues on his HS team this season. He is a hard worker with some talent, and has a very good travel team that will provide a ton of great summer baseball, so we are not truly desperate about the poor high school experience and have tried to be generally positive as suggested by so many posters. But there is no denying that favoritism and plain bad coaching decisions undermine team morale and make the entire experience a drain of valuable time as well as a loss of an opportunity and fun. As a parent, one cannot assume that hard work and ability will be rewarded but rather one must work hard to diversify the opportunities your child has so that you cannot be entirely held hostage by any one coach.