Why We Don’t Do Travel Ball

“Coach David. Is the game over already”

It was 8:45am…October 8th at Twin Creeks.

I woke up at 5:30am to drive 1 hour and 15 minutes from my apartment in Laurel Heights of San Francisco to the Twin Creeks tournament complex in Sunnyvale.

My 9U AA team was playing in the Sunday morning 8am game as the bottom seed. Yes, 8am first pitch… 

If we won, we’d move on. If we lost, we’d be eliminated.

I had just recently started Legends Academy which was built on the “travel ball” or “tournament” model.

Since we were new, my 9U team was playing at the AA level, which was the lowest level of competition.

With coffee in my hand and the sun still not out, I arrived at the dugout to learn that we were matched up against a 9U Majors team from Gilroy that I had never heard of.

They were in fancy black and neon uniforms. Their dad coaches had handlebar mustaches and pot bellies.

For some reason they seemed angry.

Although we had signed up for the AA division, I learned that if other divisions do not fill, instead of canceling and giving refunds, tournament organizers will combine divisions. This is common practice nationwide

Therefore, our 9U players with limited tournament experience were playing a team 2 levels above them who had been playing together for years.

I knew my boys were in trouble. 

The game starts.

By the end of the first inning we were down 7-0.

By the end of the 3rd inning… 13-1.

Just as my boys were running out to the field…

…”That’s the ballgame everyone.”

My heart sank. 

“Coach, is the game over already”

“Yes Jack. Unfortunately it is.” I replied.

That moment changed everything. 

That was the moment I decided the tournament baseball model was not something I wanted to be involved with. 

All these sweet kids and their parents woke up at 6:30am to enjoy a full day of watching their kids have fun competing…

We got 45 minutes of gameplay in… and then we are sent packing. Our tournament day was finished by 8:45am. Each kid got 1 at bat.

This is the current reality of the travel ball industry. 

The model is NOT designed with the kids best interests in mind.

This model was designed to be a machine to MAKE MONEY.

The entire operation, from the gate fees, to registering with Perfect Game, to spacing the games out, so that you have to stay at the complex and spend money on their food and drinks… IT’S ALL DESIGNED TO SUCK EVERY DOLLAR FROM YOUR POCKETS.

They do not care about your kids. You will play in the pouring rain, dark and smoke…

…But not only are you paying with your hard earned dollars.

You are paying with your time. 

Your precious weekend family time. Time you will never get back.

For a functioning family with more than 1 child, tournament life forces you to sacrifice your weekends.

And for no good reason.

There’s no reason you need to travel to Manteca, Modesto or Watsonville to compete against a team that is based 15 minutes away.

I feel bad for parents who believe this is the “only way”.

I feel bad for parents who are being duped by travel ball owners and providers.

But mostly, I feel bad for the kids. 

These kids are being subjected to a model where the measurement of success is whether or not they won the championship.

Every weekend is a new tournament.

Never again in their lives or their athletic career will they participate in anything like this.

When you get to High School baseball, every game matters.

In life, it all matters.

In class, you dont get to retake the same test every week.

In High school, college, professional baseball, you play a full season culminating in a hopeful playoff run.

You work hard over a long period of time towards a final goal.

Artificial tournament competition every weekend does not teach kids the game of life. 

If you have multiple kids and baseball lover 11 years of age and under, I urge you to think twice before exposing your child to this scene.

TRUST ME. I lived it for 5 years.

After that morning at Twin Creeks I called Coach Fire Flame and told him…

“George, after this season, you, me and the Legends… we will NEVER EVER set foot inside a tournament complex ever again.” 

I knew there was a better way.

Kids deserve something better.

Families deserve more value for their money.

After 5 years of trial and error…

…We played with various concepts and ideas.

We mapped every negative of travel ball and Little League and eliminated it.

We tracked EVERYTHING that made youth baseball more enriching, developmental and FUN…  and DOUBLE DOWN.

That is how SpeedBall was born. 

Invented right here in Menlo Park.

In 5 years, there will be SpeedBall Leagues in all communities nationwide.

Little Leagues are adopting.

Travel ball programs are converting.

We have changed the model.

We are transforming lives.

Our SpeedBall kids get better WAY faster…

If you havent given SpeedBall a try, ask someone who has.

I’ve dedicated the last few years of my life to perfecting it.

I’m biased, as I created it… But I feel it is the greatest and most unique and transformative youth sports program in the world.

I hope to have your child and family a part of it this Winter or when the time is right for you.

If my message here resonates with you in any way I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Please feel free to hit reply and drop me a line.

I love hearing from parents.

I am here to help you and your child on their baseball journey.

Much love.

-Captain Fun