Every summer, but especially more recent summers, I have local baseball coaches voice their concerns about youth players electing to join AAU travel programs rather than stay in the more local leagues such as Little League and Cal Ripken. 

It’s more prevalent than ever and when we get into the thick of these summer tournaments, you see the conversation brought up quite a bit. I’ve had four different people – coaches and league administrators – since Monday discuss the topic and ask how I felt about it. 

Let me start off by saying that I would never judge a family for their choice when it comes to the leagues in which they enroll their children. Every family situation is different, every child is unique, and every league offers something of value. There really is no right or wrong answer here.

That said, I have always leaned more toward Little League and the local organizations. Not lean as in “they are better,” but lean as in, “I would enroll my child in them.”

There are plenty of positives that travel programs provide. They afford kids the opportunity to play outside of their backyard, get a taste of high-level play against teams of different backgrounds, and simply having the experience of traveling around and getting to see different parts of the country. The travel is the primary reason why these leagues are expensive and sometimes exclusive.

What the local leagues provide, though, are much more affordable rates, and to be frank, an experience more driven toward having a good time rather than developing players. At the youth level, I’d rather have my child’s focus be on socializing and being a part of the community.

Now, let me reiterate my earlier point, there is absolutely nothing wrong with young players wanting to take the sport a little more seriously. AAU and travel teams, although they do promote fun, they also promote skill acquisition and setting kids up to be top-notch players for the high school level and beyond. That is why they have more games, year-round training offerings, and again, schedules beyond state lines. 

These programs also have coaches that often played college and sometimes professional ball. They are also connected to high school and college programs and can provide a pretty solid road map to getting there.

Still, what I love about the local leagues is that they are run entirely by volunteers whose passion is seeing kids have fun and make memories they’ll take with them forever.

On top of that, I believe at the youth level, there really is not much of a gap, if any gap at all, between the quality of coaching between local and travel coaches. Reason being, kids at these ages are still learning the fundamentals of the game. It does not take a former Division I player or Big Leaguer to teach an 8-year-old how to properly swing a bat or field a ground ball.

My children are 3 and 1, so I still have some time to make a decision, but my plan as of right now is to stick to the local leagues to start, probably my town’s Little League. By the time they age out, they will be 13 years old. 

That is the age in which I’d consider allowing my kids to play travel ball if they wish to do so. That is around the age that the gameplay intensifies and kids can really start expanding their knowledge and honing in on their craft, especially if they aspire to play as a varsity high schooler and possibly college.

Ultimately, I am all for making the child happy. If they want to play AAU ball and get on the travel circuit as soon as possible, and if the families can afford it and have the flexibility to make it happen, then by all means. Your child will receive amazing benefits and be put in a great position to succeed. Elevating to the high school and perhaps college level will be seamless.

If your child decides that they want to join the town Little League, fantastic. He or she will get to experience traditions like no other, like the opening day ceremonies, the jam-packed championships with the whole community watching, the lighter moments in the dugout and on the field. 

I know I may look like I am playing it safe by riding the fence here, but I promise you that I am not. There are countless of opportunities within each side and again, every child and family are different.

Either way, get your children involved in youth athletics. There is no greater tool for children to develop as human beings. Whether it is travel, AAU, Little League, Cal Ripken. Everyone wins when they are on the team. 

One more baseball thought before I sign off.

Tuesday night was the MLB All-Star game and it ended by the National League winning in a swing off. It’s the baseball equivalent of a hockey shootout, where it is essentially another home run derby to determine a winner. The NL erased a six-run deficit to force the extra event.

This, along with a handful of other gimmicks, is why I no longer invest in the All-Star game. I feel like I am complaining about it every year and only tune into the highlights.

I was devastated when the MLB eradicated the rule that the All-Star game determined homefield advantage in the World Series. It’s old news now, but it was around that time that I began losing interest. I was in the minority as most people thought it was a ridiculous and often unfair procedure.

I loved it, though, because it felt like a true competition. Teams wanted to win because it meant something. Now, players only compete for their bonuses and hopes of making headlines. No one cares about who won as much as which player did what. Kyle Schwarber won MVP for his performance in the swing off and Red Sox pitcher Aroldis Chapman tossed an inning of relief. That’s all I’ve heard about the game, along with the final score.

Take me back to the 90’s, the best decade in MLB history.