Angus: Travel Softball Sells Families a Dream. Who Holds the Organizations Accountable?

In the past three days, Softball On SI has reported on two scandals involving travel softball organizations. While the details of those situations differ, both raise serious questions about a much bigger problem within the sport.

At some point, travel softball became big business. It became entangled with greed and ego and less about the children who play.

What was once centered around giving young athletes opportunities to compete, develop and improve has grown into an industry where people can build an entire business around the hopes and dreams of young girls and their families.

Now, there is nothing wrong with making a living coaching travel softball but there is something wrong with families spending thousands of dollars chasing a dream that may never come to fruition.

There is also something wrong when organizations grow into national brands without oversight and accountability to protect the players wearing the uniform.

If a national organization wants families to trust its name, it must be willing to take responsibility for what happens under that name.

So the question is fairly simple: Who is holding these organizations accountable?

The Business of Selling a Dream

Travel softball is expensive. Plain and simple.

There are team fees, tournament expenses, hotels, gas, equipment and lessons. Families can spend thousands of dollars each year while sacrificing family vacations, weekends with friends and other activities just to give their daughters an opportunity to be recruited.

Whatever the goal is, the investment is real and families trust the adults running these programs.

That trust should mean something.

Parents shouldn't have to question whether an organization is deliviering on its promises. They shouldn't have to worry if the people in charge are prioritizing their daughter's development and well-being.

Most importantly, they should never have to choose between speaking up about a serious problem and protecting their child's place on the team.

Bigger Doesn't Always Mean Better

As I am typing this, organizations are expanding across the country, adding teams, reaching new markets and building their nationally recognized name.

Sure, growth could mean more opportunities but why does a club based in Southern California need teams in half the United States, totaling 400-plus?

Newsflash. A large organization does not automatically mean it is well run and a recognizable name on the front of a uniform does not guarantee a scholarship to a Division I university.

National leadership cannot claim the benefits of a national brand while treating individual problems as someone else's responsibility. Period.

If an organization does reach hundreds of teams, who is making sure all of the teams are run properly? Who is checking that coaches meet established standards? Are there established standards? Who is investigating complaints? And what happens when someone affiliated with the organization violates those standards?

We are seeing that play out in real time right now with the Illusions and Athletics Mercado.

Who Pays the Price?

At some point, travel softball lost the plot. The people at the center of this industry are not the adults; it's the young girls who play. Without them, this industry doesn't exist.

The young girls are also the ones with the least amount of power.

A player might be afraid to speak up because she doesn't want to lose playing time. A player might hesitate to raise concerns because of how it would affect their daughter. Walking away from injustice might feel like losing everything they have worked for.

This is why accountability matters.

Addressing misconduct should not fall on the shoulders of a young girl or a parent. The organizations should have a system in place where concerns can be raised without the burden falling on a family forking over thousands of dollars for a game.

If the system fails, leadership is responsible for finding a solution.

If leadership fails, it should be held accountable.

It's Time for National Organizations to Step Up

Travel softball doesn't need to abandon its business model entirely but it does need to understand that with growth comes a greater responsibility.

If an organization can recruit teams, market its brand and collect money from families across the country, it should also be able to monitor its programs and respond appropriately when concerns are brought forth.

There should be more than a background check to allow someone to coach. There should be a process to screen coaches, in addition to setting clear expectations for conduct, providing transparent financial practices, complaint procedures, protection against retaliation and consequences for those who violate the established standards.

It should not come down a story being made public because of inaction.

The two situations Softball On SI has reported on remind us of why any of the questions asked matter.

The people running this industry shoud live up to what they promise families.

Parents should be able to trust the organization taking their money and their daughters should be able to just be kids and play a game they love.

Travel softball has figured out how to sell families on a dream. At the end of the day, the business is built around young girls and the should never become the cost of just doing business.

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