Agreed. I also coached but gave it up after u13 to keep things and decisions independent. What I did do that many others don't do is put my kid in the outfield because it was a better fit for his style of play. All coaches sons grow up playing SS. Most don't belong there for the long run.
The money spent playing for a travel team INDEPENDENT of a parent coach's involvement is well worth it. There are a few exceptions here and there.
Hopefully there is a track record of exposure to coaches and colleges that the team can demonstrate. By demonstrate I mean talking to parents of former players, not relying on the website of a team. Many of the teams list a kid as being a "product" of their system if they only played one tournament with them, without the organization doing anything for them at all. Its easy to take credit for a scholarship, its not easy to get a kid onto the radar of a particular program. If you hear of a kid getting baseball money, ask the parent, to see who helped in the process. Don't ask the program.
Do Your Homework.
We've gone from the original thread title "Travel Ball Cost" to critiquing the LI Storm organization and now "Daddyball vs. Paid Coaching." These arguments hit a nerve on both sides. From my experience, almost all daddy coaches my sons had been involved with were primarily motivated in protecting and advancing the playing interests of their sons. There are rare exceptions to this patterned behavior, and I strongly suspect BeenAround to be one of them. At the 14U and above levels, paying the higher costs to larger organizations with paid coaches and extensive showcasing activities would be a better fit for the higher-tier players in spite of the higher costs.
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