Legion Ball Dying Off in NJ

My two oldest kids played American Legion, and I hope my youngest has the opportunity.  There is so much good about it.  But I guess like every institution or organization in the modern world, you either adapt for fade away.  If American Legion doesn't change their ways,  and value proposition to the players it will be gone everywhere not just in northern New Jersey.

Our local Post had a strict policy that Legion players could not be involved in "travel" ball if they played for the local legion team. Of course, many of the best local players had become involved with showcase organizations prior to considering Legion. Others, hearing of this policy, didn't even try out and instead chose to play travel or showcase instead.Of course, the team has done poorly the past several years.

Currently, a new coach has been brought in who has a different way of thinking. He will allow players to do both and work around their schedules. Unfortunately, it may be too late as many of the best players are already committed elsewhere.

Most of the better prospects in NJ are now playing Super 17s. The last I knew Brookhaven (perennial champions) was getting the best players in the area to play just enough games to be eligible for the tournament. Boyertown in PA does the same.

Fair enough - my post was more about the demise and what a shame it is. I played oh so many years ago and I like kids to be involved in their community on some level. I'm sure I'm living in the past. 

Legion gave boys of all ability a chance to compete. Not all players are prospects, nor can they afford many elite travel clubs. I know our Legion team was 100% paid for by the local post; and the members take great pride in fielding a team. 

Soul ... When I played Legion it was an all star team of the best talent from five high schools. Now it's loaded with varsity bench and JV players.

And that's the problem our coach will have. Last year's team had a couple of very good varsity players, several average varsity starters, and several varsity bench players. Some of those bench players who didn't see the high school field played on the legion team.

If the new coach allows the better travel players to come when they can make it, it creates an issue for the non-travel players who are there every game. "We only play when those guys aren't here. And then they show up and we sit." This creates ill will. And once the playoffs start, the guys who have been there all season may not make the roster cut in favor of those who have been part-timers.

I have a serious question - what do the retired guys go and watch when Legion goes away?  

In my area, we have a collegiate summer team. They play in the same park as the legion team.

The major difference is that you can buy a beer at the collegiate summer league games. They also run crazy promotions similar to minor leagues.

But, for those that prefer legion, there are two other local teams that do very well. One has kids dreaming of playing there and those kids don't want to play showcase. They want to play legion, win the state title, go to regionals, and hopefully win a legion world series. That's how they think in that area.

One other team has been very strong, mainly because the high school program was strong, and they encouraged the high school kids to play legion as an extension of the high school program. With each passing year, a few more of the better kids have gone the showcase route. They're still strong but slowly losing the battle to showcase.

This is it, in a nutshell.  There is great value in playing at the community level, with your neighborhood buddies.  It is good for the kids, and it is good for the community.

With that said, organizations that hold steadfastly to old rules, and don't adapt to the changing landscape and kids' desires to do more than just one thing will erode and gradually fade away.  In our area, this has already happened with Legion and with Little League at the Juniors and above levels, and if they aren't careful they could begin to lose 12U kids, too - and then things begin to snowball.  IMO, it is important for organizations to figure out what their core values are, and #1 on everybody's list should be doing what is best for the kids and not for the protection of the institution.  I don't see how limiting choices is best for the kids.  They have too many choices today, and if inflexibility causes better players to seek better and more flexible opportunities, remaining rigid and resisting adaptation is the beginning of the end.  Once the better players go, pretty soon even the average and below-average players don't want to play.

The sad part is, once that happens, many will lament the loss of the cheaper, community-based, inclusive opportunity that programs like Legion long represented.  Those of us who've been quick to abandon community-based programs need to remember that it isn't always just about the individual, and if you care about the preservation of community-based baseball, that should be part of your thinking as well.  There is room for flexibility and compromise on both sides of the coin, here.

I live in the area that the OP's linked article talks about. My son played local Legion ball as a 15 year old. It's hold was already fading then. I remember several forfeited games that season, both with the team he was on and against other teams. The sad thing was we were limited to the team in our sending district, and with the people running it, it was just a matter of time before it wouldn't work. My son didn't go back the following year. 

My son looked bak into Legion the summer after his senior year, because the original post had been absorbed by another post, but the local league was already in shambles. That would have been in 2010. Very sad, because I remember my playing time in Legion ball as a great time. Unfortunately things change and this organization needed to change too, or move out of the way... IMHO the real downfall was letting 19 year olds play. That was the beginning of the end.

I like jr. legion, but with sr. legion dropping the college freshman after this year, I don't know what happens to the jr. programs? More of the younger kids will be moved up to the senior rosters.

I'm not sure why they decided to drop the older kids from being able to play?

A college player should be playing on a college summer team. The only nineteen year olds playing in our area were kids not good enough to play college ball. It took playing time from varsity bench players and JV players who needed development.

RJM, I see your point. However, not all college freshman can play on a college summer team. Some may have been redshirted or sat the bench, or played at a small school or lower division and were not able to make a college summer team roster. This gives them a chance to get in some playing time before returning for fall and strengthens the level of play on Sr. teams.

With Jr. Legion, younger players have an opportunity to develop with kids their own age. With the 19U's gone, the better 16's will be gone from the Jr. program along with some 15's. As a result, Jr.Legion will probably become an 8th and 9th grade level program.

I have thought that most of the good Jr. programs were better than J.V. high school competition. As you had the best J.V. players and some Varsity players playing together on a good Jr. Legion Program. Basically, the competition was somewhere between high school j.v. and varsity, which was a good bridge over the summer. If only the younger players are left, then the Jr. program will be something less than J.V. high school level competition. If so, why would anyone want to play?

However, I do see where you're coming from.

In PA, the Junior Legion program is 13-15. Those who are 16 or older on May 1 have to play Senior Legion.

I know this may be true for some areas. But for most I believe there should be a place to play college summer baseball. For example in central Ohio their is a college Wood Bat league called, Ohio Independent College Baseball League. It has many players from D2 and D3, and even some D1 players. They are always anxious to find players.

I have found leagues such as:

the heartland:

http://www.leaguelineup.com/we...rl=heartlandbaseball

OICBL (mentioned Earlier)

http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=tscl

I know these are local, but I have been able to find others as well. These are a good alternative for college players, instead of legion.