Four Michigan players are from this program ...
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
There are outliers in every discussion. The facts are that anyone can travel ball (ie, pay to play), if and only if, someone else is paying the tab. Either through sponsorship or scholarship or some other means. You don't see PBR, PG, USSSA, etc. giving out free tournaments to less advantaged programs. At least it's not publicized.
Every travel ball club we've played on, has had one or two kids who couldn't afford to be on that team. Who paid? The other parents who paid their full share.
It's all about the $$$, and it has to come from somewhere!
We used to play ACE all the time. Good solid program. Always gave us a run for our money. They do good things for the kids in the area who can't afford travel ball.
Ace is a great program.
Unfortunately, there aren't enough programs like that across the country. For the mid tier recruit destined towards the JUCO/D3 route, there are absolutely thousands who cannot afford travel ball and fall through the cracks.
When my son was high school age Philadelphia RBI had a quality program. My son’s travel team played against them a couple of times in 14u and 16u. There weren’t any black kids on the team. The team was Latino and white. In many inner cities the sports culture for black kids is basketball.
RJM posted:When my son was high school age Philadelphia RBI had a quality program. My son’s travel team played against them a couple of times in 14u and 16u. There weren’t any black kids on the team. The team was Latino and white. In many inner cities the sports culture for black kids is basketball.
This. The RBI teams around my area are almost entirely hispanic. To play basketball you don't even need a ball , you just need to know somebody with a ball. Baseball you need glove, bat, cleats, pants, etc. You don't even need a league to play basketball, spending your time in the park for a few hours a day can be more valuable than playing in a rec league.
My son read an NBA player from our area used to have his father drop him off in tough minority areas to play basketball and learn how to be tough and physical. At fourteen my son got on his bike and headed into a questionable neighborhood on the edge of the city.
When he came home his eyes were open. He called a foul getting knocked to the ground going to the hoop. A guy leaned over him.
”You ain’t dead, is you?”
”No. But he knocked me off my feet.”
”If you ain’t dead there ain’t no foul.”