| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Be69chevy |
Posted - 08/21/2015 : 14:59:43
Have learned a lot from this site. Have a youth 9U player that is playing football and baseball.
Was surprised to learn from this site that college baseball scholarships aren't full rides while football is at D1.
With travel baseball for 9u being on avg $2000 at the big outfits and football being around $300 through local rec feeder programs I just don't understand the big difference....why is baseball so much more without the college payoff at the end?
Someone please enlighten me. |
| 17 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| billbclk |
Posted - 08/25/2015 : 13:29:20
quote:
Originally posted by Be69chevy
So really confused on why parents are dishing out thousands and thousands of dollars on 7u-18u travel baseball. Hoping for that top 25 MLB draft $$$?.......is it a status thing????
Not throwing stone here just trying to figure it out before getting in to deep. My kid isn't playing rec baseball but we aren't paying coaches and don't have indoor facilities or super nice fields either... He love both sports but His dad isn't going to shell out $2000 + each year from 9-18 for baseball.
Chevy
I like to think of it as parents realizing that the cost of a college education since HOPE funding has increased to the point that if little Timmy can get some money playing baseball to offset his HOPE money, Federal/State grants and their 401k then maybe they can have enough left to pay the mortgage and eat beans and franks 3 days a week. |
| Team Wilson Baseball |
Posted - 08/25/2015 : 06:43:53
Kory, good point on the food. My son used to eat a lot before football, now he acts like he's at the buffet every night after football practice. My wife is constantly telling me how much groceries prices have gone up, but consuming twice as much probably doesn't help either. |
| Kory |
Posted - 08/24/2015 : 11:37:49
If you want to spend 2000 on football, you can. There are winter and spring leagues. Camps, combines, etc... It can get costly. Add in the cost of weight training, speed and agility,supplements, countless number of chickens, cows, and fish, football can get expensive. Depending on the position a player might need to consume upwards of 4-5000 calories per day. Food alone can drive your budget up into the thousands. While baseball does have some physical training, no one is expecting a second baseman to power clean 315. Football is an entirely different animal when it comes to training. One look at team pictures will tell you that.
So, I guess the costs can actually balance out once you factor in all of the extras with football, if your son is serious about it.
In regards to football being something that you can pick up at 14-15, that is partially correct. You could probably play DT, DE or other defensive or special teams positions right away. Skill positions and many other offensive positions would be difficult to pick up the first year. This is the reason that QBs get offered in 8th grade. Football offenses are complex these days. |
| Newbie BB Mom |
Posted - 08/24/2015 : 10:45:47
The reason baseball (and basketball and soccer and many other sports that have "travel") parents have to shell out while football parents don't is because baseball is a sport you must start playing early and then refine your skills over many years. Unless you are an exceptionally gifted athlete, you cannot pick up a baseball for the first time at 14 or 15 and plan to play in college (in the Atlanta area you cannot even hope to play in high school). For all but the most athletically gifted, that ship has already sailed. But, my understanding is that a kid can learn to play football at 14 or 15 and, with some dedication and the right genes (i.e., size and speed), hope to play college football. So, I think while there is youth football for the younger ages, it is not necessary to play at the college level. |
| Team Wilson Baseball |
Posted - 08/23/2015 : 10:44:13
My son plays football at high school to the tune of about $450 per season plus cleats, gloves and mouth pieces. Plays travel baseball for about $2300 per season plus bats and occasional glove and swag apparel not included in uniform package. Significant dollar difference, but plays football on a roughly 45 man roster and plays baseball on a 14-18 man roster. he competes against roughly 44 players in football for a spot to play. He competes with roughly 13-17 players in baseball for playing time. Plays 7 games in freshman football and plays approx. 70 games in baseball. As for college potentials to play, he may get a look at some high school football games when he gets older and if he shows out. For baseball, he can play at PG locally just about every weekend and may catch an eye from scout looking at other players or invited by him (again when he gets a bit older). Either way, he loves both sports and as someone mentioned before, if his grades are good, I'm letting him do whatever sports he wants and has fun in. If he's lucky enough to play one of the sports he loves in college, that would be awesome, but for now, he's getting great grades and loves playing both sports. That's all that matters right now. |
| hshuler |
Posted - 08/22/2015 : 12:28:28
bballman is spot on. I would consider us fortunate if my son was able to play college ball like his son but that's not why I have given up my Saturdays in the fall and weekends in the spring and summer.
My son enjoys playing football and baseball and as long as his grades are good he has my support. I expect that he work hard, amongst other things, and not waste money. So many parents treat their kids like a 401K but I refuse to do that. |
| bballman |
Posted - 08/22/2015 : 09:51:54
quote:
Originally posted by Zachsdad
Love it, Tums.
Now that's good!!! Hahaha. |
| Zachsdad |
Posted - 08/22/2015 : 06:44:40
quote:
Originally posted by CaCO3Girl
Oh I can't wait to hear these answers....
From my perspective my son loves baseball. It isn't about the college scholarship, or the MLB draft, it's about finding a sport where my son can not only excel but be with challenging personalities and learn to work with them, learn what it means to be a team player, learn how to multi-task and prioritize school work vs extra curriculars, learn some self control in how he expresses himself, and in short baseball is where he will learn about commitment.
Commitment to his team, his coaches, his sport...etc, baseball is where he is learning how to be a grown up. If you aren't committed you aren't going to do well in life. If you can't follow your bosses instructions you aren't going to have a job for very long. You will not receive points just for showing up, you have to earn everything you get, and if someone is better/faster/smarter they can take what you have.
It's a running joke on several forums that a football player could be kicked back in his recliner playing grand theft auto while talking with a football coach...and he WILL get offered a scholarship....while the average baseball player must make sure his hat is straight on his head, his shirt is tucked in, and he is dressed appropriately at ALL times or someone somewhere might check you off their list of possible recruits.
I'm not picking on football, it is a very hard sport when you play it correctly, but I think I'd prefer my kid playing baseball.
Love it, Tums.
The discipline, teamwork, and hard work for reward is why we play sports...that, and to have fun! |
| bballman |
Posted - 08/21/2015 : 20:25:23
If you are doing it for the return on investment, you are not doing it for the right reasons. We did it because my son loves to play baseball and we love to watch him play. The fact that he was given the opportunity to play in college was an added bonus. He didn't play football, or any other organized sport for that matter, because he didn't love to play those sports. I think we all want, in some way, to help our kids to do what they love to do. |
| Be69chevy |
Posted - 08/21/2015 : 18:50:12
So really confused on why parents are dishing out thousands and thousands of dollars on 7u-18u travel baseball. Hoping for that top 25 MLB draft $$$?.......is it a status thing????
Not throwing stone here just trying to figure it out before getting in to deep. My kid isn't playing rec baseball but we aren't paying coaches and don't have indoor facilities or super nice fields either... He love both sports but His dad isn't going to shell out $2000 + each year from 9-18 for baseball. |
| hshuler |
Posted - 08/21/2015 : 17:28:01
bbsis & bballman nailed it. One Big Five college football program generates millions of dollars and most baseball teams operate in the red. So, in essence, football pays for baseball and other sports in a lot of instances. |
| turntwo |
Posted - 08/21/2015 : 17:19:29
quote:
Originally posted by bballman
And, yes, football at the D1 level generates A LOT of income. Baseball does not. Is it fair that at D1 baseball only gets 11.7 scholarships while football gets in the neighborhood of 85? I don't really think so, but it is what it is.
I think it's fair, strictly based on your first sentence in the paragraph. If your football program MAKES you $50 MILLION a year, vs. your baseball team may actually COST you money... So essentially, the scholarships (how ever few), keeps the team budget in the red. |
| in_the_know |
Posted - 08/21/2015 : 16:46:06
The cost of playing competitive baseball can vary and, honestly, is independent of any scholarship opportunity.
The real reason for limited scholarships in baseball vs. other sports is Title IX. Further, it isn't inexpensive for a college to host any team, so even though at a D1 level the NCAA limits the total athletic scholarships for baseball at 11.7, many colleges don't even fully fund the 11.7, but the cap itself is the result of Title IX.
Frankly, we sank our money into my son's baseball careers with no expectation of a return on our investment. They enjoyed playing and we enjoyed supporting it. We considered it an annual investment in ours and their entertainment, so we had no illusions or expectations along they way. No false expectations led to disappointments. |
| bballman |
Posted - 08/21/2015 : 16:04:23
Youth rec football is subsidized by the city or county where the football is played. If you were to play rec baseball for the city or county, the fees would be similar. Travel baseball fees are more money, partly because it costs more to play it and it is not subsidized by anyone. Travel baseball must pay for their own insurance, baseballs, umpire fees, possibly field rental, tournament fees, uniforms, possibly paid coaches, etc... Most of these costs are covered by your tax dollars in the city or county rec programs, football or baseball.
And, yes, football at the D1 level generates A LOT of income. Baseball does not. Is it fair that at D1 baseball only gets 11.7 scholarships while football gets in the neighborhood of 85? I don't really think so, but it is what it is. |
| CaCO3Girl |
Posted - 08/21/2015 : 15:39:21
Oh I can't wait to hear these answers....
From my perspective my son loves baseball. It isn't about the college scholarship, or the MLB draft, it's about finding a sport where my son can not only excel but be with challenging personalities and learn to work with them, learn what it means to be a team player, learn how to multi-task and prioritize school work vs extra curriculars, learn some self control in how he expresses himself, and in short baseball is where he will learn about commitment.
Commitment to his team, his coaches, his sport...etc, baseball is where he is learning how to be a grown up. If you aren't committed you aren't going to do well in life. If you can't follow your bosses instructions you aren't going to have a job for very long. You will not receive points just for showing up, you have to earn everything you get, and if someone is better/faster/smarter they can take what you have.
It's a running joke on several forums that a football player could be kicked back in his recliner playing grand theft auto while talking with a football coach...and he WILL get offered a scholarship....while the average baseball player must make sure his hat is straight on his head, his shirt is tucked in, and he is dressed appropriately at ALL times or someone somewhere might check you off their list of possible recruits.
I'm not picking on football, it is a very hard sport when you play it correctly, but I think I'd prefer my kid playing baseball. |
| BaseballMom6 |
Posted - 08/21/2015 : 15:37:16
You are comparing apples to oranges. Baseball at the local rec programs are also cheap. However, I believe the answer to this question would be, because parents keep paying the fees. |
| bbsis |
Posted - 08/21/2015 : 15:23:35
college baseball is not a revenue/income stream like college football is |
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