Advice to parents from a baseball umpire | Letter
Published 2:31 pm Friday, June 26, 2015
I am a baseball umpire with over 15 years of experience. I’ve worked everything from Little League to high school to college to semi-pro ball. I’ve seen thousands of baseball players.
I’d like to provide a little advice to the parents of ball players from the very youngest to those going on to college. This advice is meant to help you know how much of your time and treasure to spend on pursuing your dream of having your child “play at the next level.”
First and foremost, you must understand whether baseball is something your child really enjoys or if the parents are the ones driving the activity. A lot of kids get burned out trying to pursue the dreams of a parent. There’s also an undeniable reality when it comes to baseball (and all other sports): The vast majority of Little Leaguers never play on their high school varsity team. The vast majority of high school ball players never play beyond high school. The vast majority of college players never play professionally. Baseball should be a fun activity for the ball player and the parents need to keep their perspective. Almost certainly, junior isn’t going pro. Even playing college ball is very rare.
Given the above, be careful how much money you spend on traveling teams and select ball. It can cost thousands of dollars over a summer. Some parents pay over $10,000 when the fees, travel, uniforms and other costs are added up. Big bucks for sure! I’m not against these teams at all. I umpire their games all summer long. Kids have fun, stay fit, learn the important life lessons of sports and improve their skills. They make friends and they’re busy so they avoid some of the trouble that comes with too much time on their teenage hands.
The problem comes when mom and dad spend money they really don’t have chasing a futile dream of getting junior a college scholarship or noticed by pro scouts. If you are spending your child’s college fund, or getting into debt financing this, you are making a poor decision. It is a very poor bet thinking the money you spend on high-cost summer ball is going to come back to you with college scholarships or big bucks professional contracts. On the other hand, if you have the money and you enjoy it, it is a wonderful way to spend a summer. Just remember, it is easy to get “carried away” and be stuck with the financial wreckage.
Don’t worry that your child’s baseball skills won’t be noticed. If your child is clearly a far better athlete than anyone else on the team, the scouts will find them. I promise. If your high schooler hits .450, leads the league in RBI, strikes out an average of 10 hitters per game, has five times as many strike outs as walks, or has an ERA of 1.00, the college and pro scouts will find them. These kinds of players are clear standouts at every level. They are one in 100 or one in 500 or one in 1,000. This kind of athlete gets noticed. Why? Think about it: There are scouts scouring the U.S. and other countries looking for these players. They find them in big cities, small towns, Latin America, Asia and all over the world. If your child is that good, they will be found.
Remember that these select teams are a business. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. They want your child to participate because they want your money. No problem with that either. They want your child to commit to year-round baseball workouts. If you can afford it, and your kid enjoys it, then go for it.
Just don’t kid yourself: unless everyone who has seen your ball player recognizes them as clearly the best of the best, your child isn’t likely to get past high school and the money you spent isn’t going to come back to you. Think of it like a family vacation. Money well be spent having fun together. It is NOT an investment.
If you want to have a summer baseball experience and can’t, or don’t want to spend many thousands of dollars, there are alternatives. There is, for example, American Legion ball. Shop around. Have fun. Play ball!
Bruce Elkington, Federal Way
