Be Careful of Travel Team Hopes and Dreams
One of the more remarkable calls I received on the air last Sunday on WFAN came from a sports mom named Camille who really hit the target regarding kids AND their parents who fall prey to the lure of travel team programs.
In short, before your kid becomes totally seduced by the travel team promises (e.g. you need to specialize in this sport and give up the others, or you stay with this program and there’s a good shot of getting a college scholarship, etc.), just be aware that there are NO studies that suggest that playing on a travel team exclusively will enhance your kid’s chances of getting a scholarship. Furthermore, understand that travel team programs are “for-profit” — meaning that the people who run these organizations are doing it to make money. That means that it’s in their best interest to keep kids signing up and staying with them.
Now, let me add as a disclaimer that I’m not trying to indict all travel programs. That’s not the point. What Camille was suggesting is that too many kids and their parents are swayed into these programs at an early age, that they cost a lot of dough, and that there’s absolutely no guarantee that this will take the kid where they dream of going.
Specialization in team sports usually takes place around the age of 14 or 15, when the athlete can see for himself or herself what their best sport is. They make up their own mind. Then again, if your athlete is extremely talented, there’s no need to specialize in one sport in HS at all. Lebron James, for example, was an All-State wide receiver in football in Ohio while still playing hoops. There are literally hundreds of other examples like that.
Bottom line? Specialization is not usually the answer. And as Camille suggests, be wary of immediately buying into the travel team dream.
Doug Abrams
Rick Wolff
Steve Kallas
Ask Coach Wolff 
All three of my children played travel ball….but it was usually for a team that we knew the coach well. My oldest daughter played softball and went to show cases and I know of girls who got noticed by college scouts at those showcases. She herself played 4 years of D-3 softball. My son played travel basketball and is now playing D-3 football. My daughter played travel basketball and a very low-key volleyball club team, and is going to play small college volleyball. All that to say, you are right, it does not guarantee a college scholarship and I think that many parents start their kids too early. I remember watching kids as young as 4 or 5 playing travel basketball. I was amazed! My kids didn’t start until around 7th grade. I will agree that it is definitely not for everyone, and you have to count the cost for sure. But our family had fun and good experiences with travel ball.
There can be good experiences – my quarrel is with the assumed necessity. Furthermore, the travel teams are yet another nail in the coffin of professionalization of youth sports. They are almost never necessary for long term success, and we definitely should not be specializing young children. This is ridiculous and damaging to both child and community.