If a kid (and parents) commit to a travel team, they should be dependable. There’s too much time and money involved to be otherwise. Now, has travel ball gotten ridiculous? Yes it has. It’s both expensive and time consuming, but you know that before trying out and signing up. I’ll agree that lots of travel ball parents are over the top, but so are plenty of dads who so desperately want little Jonny to be a successful hunter. There’s absolutely nothing wrong if a kid chooses to not play sports so he can maximize his time outdoors. But, leaving your teammates hanging because you wanna turkey hunt is just wrong. Team sports do teach valuable lessons. Commitment, dependability, and dedication are certainly some of those.
I'm with you CD, doesn't matter if it's Travel Ball , Rec ball other team sport or whatever , if you commit , you should show up and do your best. There's really no difference in taking Little Johnny to the ballpark or the woods if Little Johnny really doesn't want to be there either.
