Interesting Article in Baytown Sun...

[bhsaint]

My question is how long will High School Sports namely club sports such as Baseball, Softball and Basketball exist with all the Select and AAU options available to our Student Athletes. I tend to believ eit will become a thing of the past in the remaining decade. Your thoughts and opinions...

[Guest UHCoog14]

There is always room for both.

The problem is that some athletes play more for the name on the back of the jersey and not for the one on the front. This mentality is often supported (even encouraged) by the parents. I do not think you can place the blame on "select" organizations.

The concern is that the so called "select" sports are outdated. "Select" simply means that as a player/parent I "select" the team that fits my childs personal needs. ie playing time, position, etc... When teams are allowed to take parents out of the equation, the term "select" will mean something.

My son was fortunate enough to play for the Texas Sun Devils. The Sun Devils are a fully funded organization and epotimize the term "select". They have the ability to "select" the players they want WITHOUT concern for parental financial support or involvement (much like any NCAA baseball program). In other words, if you do not like something, you are always free to leave.

I encourage parents to treat their "select" team much like a college team. (I assume that is the ultimate function of playing "select") Choose a team based on the program and coach in place. Then, let the coaches coach. Support their decisions (as difficult as that may be sometimes) and truly prepare your athlete for the next level. I can assure you that not one single college coach will ask for, or solicit your opinion about his coaching decisions. Better to learn that now.

Playing for your high school is an easy decision. Every player should want to represent his/her school/town/community. That should never be in question.

Support your local teams in high school by going to some games. The only thing that will eliminate high school athletics is a lack of funding.