Team Contracts

You will frequently find them in AABC baseball, particularly in Arizona. They are to affirm a player's commitment to the team and are designed to add stability to league rosters.

Personally I do not like contracts---if the handshake is not enough to have a committment then I don't need the kid nor his parents---sure we get burned every now and then but word does get around---call me old school but I like it this way

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Ok TR...

"You're old school !"

You're also welcome.




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I'm with TR; if the guy's word is no good on a verbal or a handshake they'll break a written contract too.

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
Personally I do not like contracts---if the handshake is not enough to have a committment then I don't need the kid nor his parents---sure we get burned every now and then but word does get around---call me old school but I like it this way

You have a business. If a kid burns your business for $1,000 I'm guessing the business can handle it. If the team is run by a dad or an individual it comes right out of his personal pocket. I got burned for $700 the first year and vowed it would never happen again. I made a contract. No sign, no play.

You also have to take into account the age group. I was dealing with a delusional 13U dad who didn't understand why his son wasn't an infielder even though he had the weakest arm on the team and played left before quitting. Afterall, the kid played short for dad in LL. The all-star coach was also crazy for not playing the kid at short.

Note: The kid never made another team after that year. I was doing the dad (a friend until that situation) a favor.

quote:

I made a contract. No sign, no play.

What happens if the contract is violated that wouldn't happen with a verbal committment? Are you saying that the contract gives you the right to sue the parent and player? Would you?

This is all foreign to me since my son has never played for any team that required a contract. They were/are sponsored so I've never had to sign anything since there wasn't any 'payment' involved....I'm just curious if these 'contracts' are binding and what recourse the team had if they were violated.

Is there anything in the contracts that guarantees things for the player like positions and playing time? Can someone post an example of a contract?

Nothing is guaranteed. Even contracts can be broken. What I was looking for was protection from losing money if the parent demanded their money back when their kid quit. In the following two years no one quit. They're less likely to pursue the situation legally if they signed a document saying they fofeit the money if the kid quits. I would never guarantee playing time.

I did stay tough on "you don't play until you pay" unless there were circumstances dictating an extention. It's not an issue anymore. This summer my son was recruited to play elsewhere.

In Arizona, the AABC contracts work like this: Once a player signs with a team, he cannot play for another team without a release from the team that holds the contract. It is not a big deal, but it adds a certain measure of order.