# Youth Sports Killed Kobe



## oh canada (Feb 23, 2020)

Valid points in below article.  Sounds too familiar.  I didn't know about the IG controversy of Kobe posting the 115-22 Mamba win last year.  When the youth sports FOMO is killing our fellow parents, it's time to stop the insanity, at least for your own family.  Maybe that's the best lesson that Kobe can teach us all?

If someone can copy/paste the article in this thread everyone can read (bc it's behind a paywall if you reached your quota).

RIP #8/24









						Column: Kobe's death and its harsh lesson about our obsession with youth sports
					

Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna were heading to girls basketball tournament when helicopter crashed




					www.sandiegouniontribune.com


----------



## espola (Feb 23, 2020)

oh canada said:


> Valid points in below article.  Sounds too familiar.  I didn't know about the IG controversy of Kobe posting the 115-22 Mamba win last year.  When the youth sports FOMO is killing our fellow parents, it's time to stop the insanity, at least for your own family.  Maybe that's the best lesson that Kobe can teach us all?
> 
> If someone can copy/paste the article in this thread everyone can read (bc it's behind a paywall if you reached your quota).
> 
> ...


Or open another browser (my third worked).

I was afraid someone would eventually say "helicopter parents".  Zeigler did.


----------



## timbuck (Feb 23, 2020)

Good article. Damn.


----------



## myself (Feb 23, 2020)

Get out of here with your clickbait titles.


----------



## RedDevilDad (Feb 23, 2020)

myself said:


> Get out of here with your clickbait titles.


Facts.


----------



## Soccerhelper (Feb 23, 2020)

myself said:


> Get out of here with your clickbait titles.


What is clickbait?  I've never heard of that before but I freaking love it.  I will use that forever and will always give myself the credit I promise


----------



## socalkdg (Feb 23, 2020)

Former volleyball stars Carrie McCaw and Lesley Prather and 2 daughters killed in Missouri crash | CNN
					

McCaw played volleyball at Syracuse University and Prather played at University of Louisville.




					www.cnn.com
				




You can be driving and accidents happen as well.  










						20 Killed in Limo Crash in New York; Deadliest U.S. Accident in 9 Years (Published 2018)
					

The stretch limousine held the driver and 17 friends headed to celebrate a birthday at a brewery in upstate New York. Two pedestrians were also killed.




					www.nytimes.com
				




Or going to a Birthday party.


----------



## Soccerhelper (Feb 23, 2020)

Wow, very deep article.  I appreciate it and coming from a writer with a little experience as well in youth sports and is a papa bear in soccer too  LBHS girls water polo team won CIF last night.  My dd called and said, "we won dad."  Everyone from the school was here too.  Principle, Mayor, English teachers, Campus Police Officer, AD, other coaches and students and parents and locals from town."  What do you think she's thinking about for next year?  What @Rocky's dd get's to go do and all the girls from Upland and Santiago (Corona) for D1 bragging rights.  I'm not saying HS Soccer rules or is better than full time travel ball but it's becoming more intriguing as the days go by.  If Kobe could come back for 10 hrs, where on earth you think he's going first????????????  Also bet all his money he would not be looking to play hoops with Shaq and the fellas or go to the Mamba Cup.


----------



## oh canada (Feb 24, 2020)

socalkdg said:


> Former volleyball stars Carrie McCaw and Lesley Prather and 2 daughters killed in Missouri crash | CNN
> 
> 
> McCaw played volleyball at Syracuse University and Prather played at University of Louisville.
> ...


Both true, but not good analogies to this unfortunate situation if Zeigler's article is accurate.  A better analogy would be if you disregarded Highway Patrol's chains/4wheel drive requirement then slid off the road in your front-wheel drive Prius--just to attend a game.

Memorial is today.


----------



## maestroFRSM (Feb 24, 2020)

myself said:


> Get out of here with your clickbait titles.


Agree. Not cool to summarize in that fashion


----------



## Soccerhelper (Feb 24, 2020)

Were all hooked!!!  I'm still alive and grateful each day I have on planet earth.  Kobe's death brought perspective of what truly is important to me.  I like what the writer said about the perfect financial storm.  Let's say average soccer family in LA makes $100,000.  If you want to roll with the Jones & Smith families who like to eat and drink on the road and stay at nice hotels and fly, then your spending $10K+ at least.  If your on a tight budget and don;t eat out with anyone and bring trail mix and Top Ramen and some Hot Pockets, you can do it for under $5,000 but you can;t be with your child on the road so you have to trust all those in charge in the club soccer world with your child and frankly that is never going to happen with this papa bear with how some of these coaches and docs live their lives.  When the truth lies somewhere in the middle, I'm not sending my kid with you until I can see the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God.    

*"From our bank accounts.

It is the perfect financial storm, a system that feeds on a willingness to do anything (and pay anything) for our children; a fear that our kids will fall behind if they miss a practice or game because someone, somewhere is working longer and harder; a lust for what psychologists call “reflected glory” when they hit a home run; and an insatiable, insidious thirst for victory. In the United States, by some estimates, it is a $17 billion annual industry."*


----------



## oh canada (Feb 24, 2020)

maestroFRSM said:


> Agree. Not cool to summarize in that fashion


Whatever.  Read the article.  That's the entire point of it.  I didn't write it.  #snowflakes


----------



## SoccerFan4Life (Feb 24, 2020)

Soccerhelper said:


> Were all hooked!!!  I'm still alive and grateful each day I have on planet earth.  Kobe's death brought perspective of what truly is important to me.  I like what the writer said about the perfect financial storm.  Let's say average soccer family in LA makes $100,000.  If you want to roll with the Jones & Smith families who like to eat and drink on the road and stay at nice hotels and fly, then your spending $10K+ at least.  If your on a tight budget and don;t eat out with anyone and bring trail mix and Top Ramen and some Hot Pockets, you can do it for under $5,000 but you can;t be with your child on the road so you have to trust all those in charge in the club soccer world with your child and frankly that is never going to happen with this papa bear with how some of these coaches and docs live their lives.  When the truth lies somewhere in the middle, I'm not sending my kid with you until I can see the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God.
> 
> *"From our bank accounts.
> 
> It is the perfect financial storm, a system that feeds on a willingness to do anything (and pay anything) for our children; a fear that our kids will fall behind if they miss a practice or game because someone, somewhere is working longer and harder; a lust for what psychologists call “reflected glory” when they hit a home run; and an insatiable, insidious thirst for victory. In the United States, by some estimates, it is a $17 billion annual industry."*


The sad part is that current system is separating kids that have talent but lack  resources to the kids with parents that can afford it all. 

Ultimately this system will fail to discover the best athletes that can make it to the pro level.  

Even for those who can afford $10k+ a year in ECNL/Academy level, the economics don’t add up. You will spend more on a 7 year  ECNL program than most kids will get in scholarship money.


----------



## Soccerhelper (Feb 24, 2020)

SoccerFan4Life said:


> The sad part is that current system is separating kids that have talent but lack  resources to the kids with parents that can afford it all.
> 
> Ultimately this system will fail to discover the best athletes that can make it to the pro level.
> 
> Even for those who can afford $10k+ a year in ECNL/Academy level, the economics don’t add up. You will spend more on a 7 year  ECNL program than most kids will get in scholarship money.


Bingo!!!!


----------



## Soccerhelper (Feb 24, 2020)

I know I shared parts of my dd story many times on the forum.  @GirlsRule thinks I'm 5 people when the whole time I told the truth about why I switched avatars every single.  Trust me, it crossed my mind to play two villains on here but it's hard for me to be two faced, even as a righter.  My rants are in plain view for all to see.  I came here originally to speak to a few dads and a couple coaches I know that have been known to lurk here from time to time.  I'm sorry for those of you caught in the middle of the truth.  I'm not talking to them anymore, I'm talking to parents who want help. We know the one's who don;t need any help and actually get mad when you try to help.


----------



## nononono (Feb 24, 2020)

oh canada said:


> Valid points in below article.  Sounds too familiar.  I didn't know about the IG controversy of Kobe posting the 115-22 Mamba win last year.  When the youth sports FOMO is killing our fellow parents, it's time to stop the insanity, at least for your own family.  Maybe that's the best lesson that Kobe can teach us all?
> 
> If someone can copy/paste the article in this thread everyone can read (bc it's behind a paywall if you reached your quota).
> 
> ...


*Very rarely do I comment in these other threads, but today I am.

Very Very respectfully I disagree......

The Title is an insult to youth sports......

A choice was made and the choice was NOT affiliated with " Youth Sports " at all.

The decision to fly in the overcast/very low visibility conditions rests solely on the pilot.

No one else. Sorry if I offend anyone, but the TRUTH is the TRUTH. *


----------



## myself (Feb 24, 2020)

oh canada said:


> Whatever.  Read the article.  That's the entire point of it.  I didn't write it.  #snowflakes


I'm a fan of most of your posts, but your title is out of line. Doesn't make me a snowflake. Don't be a jerk.


----------



## dad4 (Feb 24, 2020)

Article is a great read.  Respectful and relevant.

Just ignore the title.


----------



## maestroFRSM (Feb 24, 2020)

oh canada said:


> Whatever.  Read the article.  That's the entire point of it.  I didn't write it.  #snowflakes


Eh, I did read the article. The author certainly didn’t say that, or use that as his title. His point was more subtle; yours’ unnecessarily histrionic.


----------



## Soccerhelper (Feb 24, 2020)

Just add the word "Did Youth.....................Kobe?  I look at it this way. If I my headlights on my car broke all of sudden and I still drive to the game in the dark and I crash into a wall because I didn't see the wall in front me, my fault as the driver in charge?  Not the games fault, the team or the clubs fault.  Let's say I have no money and one of my tires are balled.  I want my dd to be the first in our family to go to college so bad that I drive her anyways to Apple Valley for the game.  I have a blow out on the freeway and kill me and her.  Whose fault is it?


----------



## Soccerhelper (Feb 24, 2020)

All this article tells me is that Kobe got involved in travel ball like all of us. He tried it to with soccer too.  His Mamba team and my dd almost played together. No joke.  That didn't work out and then he had GiGi.  She could ball, let me just say that.  Kobe was living his life and nothing wrong with that.  The Mamba academy trained the Mamba way.  Kobe air balled four shots and after the game he went and shot until 6am.  Look it up.  I like the article because it hits more to the point of how much time and money we spend trying to help our kids and what some parents will do to help them.


----------



## Kicker4Life (Feb 24, 2020)

Last 2 threads started:
1) Alex Morgan’s arrogance in wanting to qualify for the Olympic Team post pregnancy (the nerve)
2) Youth Sports Kills Kobe (yep, the system flew that helicopter into the cliff).

Youstart threads with antagonistic intentions and call people “snowflakes” for reacting.  So who really is the asshole here?  Those who incite an emotional response then critique it or those who react?


----------



## Copa9 (Feb 24, 2020)

SoccerFan4Life said:


> The sad part is that current system is separating kids that have talent but lack  resources to the kids with parents that can afford it all.
> 
> Ultimately this system will fail to discover the best athletes that can make it to the pro level.
> 
> ...


----------



## SoccerFan4Life (Feb 24, 2020)

It's not a choice if the claims that college coaches only look at ECNL and Academy.  The fact is that state schools should be looking at high school CIF games or have open tryouts for local players.    Imagine if UC Schools and Cal State Schools had an annual open tryout for all the kids that want to get athletic scholarships.   This gives an opportunity to any player (regardless of their financial background) a real chance to get a soccer scholarship.   

I know that this easier said than done but ultimately we are the tax payers so why are these coaches recruiting mostly through ECNL/Academy. 

I make decent money and my  kids are not good enough to even make it to flight 1 so this doesn't impact me. 
My point is I see many underprivileged kids that have no chance at getting a view by the college scouts because they only play high school soccer or local hispanic leagues.


----------



## Soccerhelper (Feb 24, 2020)

SoccerFan4Life said:


> It's not a choice if the claims that college coaches only look at ECNL and Academy.  The fact is that state schools should be looking at high school CIF games or have open tryouts for local players.    Imagine if UC Schools and Cal State Schools had an annual open tryout for all the kids that want to get athletic scholarships.   This gives an opportunity to any player (regardless of their financial background) a real chance to get a soccer scholarship.
> 
> I know that this easier said than done but ultimately we are the tax payers so why are these coaches recruiting mostly through ECNL/Academy.
> 
> ...


Bingo!!!


----------



## Soccerhelper (Feb 24, 2020)

I thought the DA was supposed to help the poor kids too?  I would assume most poor kids go to public school?  I read somewhere that said some poor kids had actual become great soccer players in other parts of the world.  Not here yet?  I don;t want to assume too much so please, if the smart dads here think I'm wrong, please enlighten me.  So poor families and most middle class families who have their poor kids in public school 100% can;t really afford the DA and all the travel.  All public school kiddos and poor families are locked out of the process and are left to develop themselves in HS or Rec league all because the DA Higher Ups Forbid all public school kids from ACCESS.  On top of that, they tell everyone how bad it is and if you want to develop don't play in HS. So they attack and forbid and lock the poor kids and public school kids out.  Wow, is this for real?  I told EVERYONE I would challenge this someday.  This is so wrong it makes me PUKE!!!!!!


----------



## jpeter (Feb 24, 2020)

No....

Kobe was trying to help others and make a difference, he did that up until is final moments as we heard for his BF RP today at his celebration for life.  RIP Mamba. Living life and embracing the moment & love ones.


----------

