The ROI on Club Lacrosse

There's an informative video by The Aspen Institute which I would encourage everyone to take the time out and watch.

It would be interesting to see the data on how academic KPIs were affected by Spelman's move to phase out varsity sports entirely. There's something about this that I actually like, and I think that is the conscious move to change the funnel and shift potential applicants and the current student body towards and emphasis on academics. But, I can't help but feel like completely abandoning varsity sports is an unnecessarily drastic reaction. I'm unsure as to why they chose to remove intramural sports, as that can be a great outlet and opportunity for general wellness and creating a sense of community. But, I wonder if the overall GPA went up, or if there is a lift in the career track output for graduates that can be attributed to the removal of team sports. At some schools, nearly every underperforming student and discipline problem can be attributed to the student athletes. At other institutions, the overall GPAs exhibited by the varsity teams are on par and in some cases exceed that of the greater student body.

As for Michael Lewis' idea of a Ministry of Sports, that struck me as entirely too Orwellian, but I understand what he's calling for. There is a thrill to navigating the scene as a parent. It can be overwhelming initially, and we should look to find a way to secure an equity of opportunity so that apathy doesn't set in. The economic competition is visible at any tournament event. On every highway leading up to the field locations, you're likely to get behind and next to luxury SUVs covered in elite private school and club team magnet decals, Maseratis and Teslas with elite university stickers on the back windows. If one were to glance back at all of the videos of lacrosse girls doing drills or tricks in their backyards during the pandemic, the level of affluence that is shared amongst seemingly all of the players is astounding. The multi acred estates invariably include meticulously landscaped grounds with retaining walls, full regulation basketball courts, multiple bounce backs, goals and all overshadowed by the looming walls of their 3 story homes.

Michael Lewis (Author of Playing to Win) provided the most thought provoking commentary, and it was from his own first hand experience as a club parent, in his case a softball Dad.  I've had similar epiphanies to his own where he speaks about how once you've learned how to navigate the club scene, it's too late.  Of course, many of us have two, three and even four or five children who exhibit athletic potential, and these are the only scenarios where it becomes a repeatable experience, once that allows you to avoid certain mistakes and strategically approach decisions like a veteran.  

Michael spoke about this foundation of 

"...an endless supply of anxious parents who are all willing to cough up what ever it takes to give their kids an edge in this hyper competitive world is a mix of toxic and benign characters and actors.  There are really good coaches.  There are really bad coaches. There are really horrible travel sports organizations.  There are really good travel sports organizations.  The ability of the consumer, the parent to sift among them is very weak.  When you are shopping for these organizations, there is just not a lot of good information.  There’s word of mouth, anecdote.  A lot of unreliable stuff.  The market doesn’t sort the good from the bad, because the consumer doesn’t sift the good from the bad."  

He went on to say that, "When you are in a market with an ignorant consumer, it is primed for chaos and exploitation.  The market can’t correct unless you can introduce information." He suggested that one way to correct it would be to introduce rankings or ratings.  I thought of the still nascent US Club Lacrosse, but he is essentially speaking to the necessity for a central authority of validation to help drive out the more toxic actors.  I know that I have heard Denis Noonan at US Club Lacrosse express that it is not his institution to become a central authority or regulatory body.  But, there is a need to consider scoring clubs in a way that goes beyond the ranking of wins and the difficulty of their schedule matchups.  Ideally, this would take college commit pipelines into account along with actual human sentiment and perhaps a rating of satisfaction by families who have completed the final year of high school club.  What’s the attach rate for a particular club?  There’s a lot to sort through when you have a lack of transparency regarding who many coaches actually show up.  You might have 38 fields, but there are only two where college coaches are gathered.  Is that the most effective platform?  No, it isn’t. 

On one hand, you now have clubs who are so devoted to providing development and an opportunity to play on a club team that they don't turn anyone away.  This is cynically referred to by some as a "money grab".  Ultimately, there is a case to be made for B and C bracket club teams, as they legitimately serve to instill confidence in players who all develop at different paces.  I've seen kids who started playing in middle school, blossom into clutch players at the Varsity level later in high school, and this was a direct result of their finding a team where they could make the cut and join the roster of club that competed in the Summer and Fall club tournament scene. 

Yes, perhaps an oversaturation of mediocre clubs might dilute the elite nature of making it onto a club team.  I think there is a balance to be had.  Club program coaches should be careful not to disillusion the advance player who has been working hard since their early elementary years in rec and subsequently paid their dues over the years in the club circuit.  How might they become disillusioned?  Well, imagine taking a player like that onto a team that is composed of a couple of elite players, some good athletes and several players who are new to the game and don't really belong at the "club level".  Then, proceed to play games in club tournaments as if it is all about developing players (like a clinic) and when you're down by 7 points the coach puts a JV squad out on Attack while the elite player is in anguish on the bench.  Imagine the embarrassment and elite player would feel when they encounter their peers they know on elite clubs and their friends see them on a team that is not playing to win and barely playing the elite player!  

This market is fueled by the highly irrational emotions of the parents.  An unregulated arena where your ability to pay gives you privileged access to college admissions offices and officials.  It becomes an economic competition.  A meritocracy of resources.

Club Ratings

There is a distinct difference between rating a club's performance against other travel club teams and assessing the level of the competition which they face at tournaments and assigning a rating based upon not just the perceived prestige but the morality of the owners and directors and whether or not parents should entrust them with their children.  There is a lot of truth to the observation that by the time you've figured out the landscape, it's too late.  Of course, there's always the younger siblings who will no doubt benefit from their parents having been to the rodeo before.  There are some incredibly pure hearted and well intentioned coaches and trainers out there in the world of youth and club lacrosse.  There are also some unscrupulous, immoral and un-Christian individuals who eat up and spit out the precious souls who flock to their programs expecting to be nurtured and built up rather than torn down, damaged and traumatized.  The mercenary motives know no bound.  

Sociopaths in the Club Lacrosse Cult

Sometimes your child's talent is not celebrated as you might expect it to be.  Parents of other players can feel threatened by your child's natural abilities.  There are some damaged adults out there.  They might go through the motions of sending their sons and daughters to prestigious institutions of the Holy Catholic and Apostolic faith, but that doesn't mean they are vessels of the Holy Spirit.  Don't expect any caritas from that crowd.  The spirit of competition has possessed them and malformed their person to the point that they are willing to donate several thousand dollars to the building fund in order to leverage their charity to get the club Director to cut the lead scorer or the most talented boy or girl on the team.  Why would someone do something so counterintuitive?  We play to win in club, right?  Well, I've run into many people on the club scene who are only satisfied if their child is stealing the spotlight.  And, they won't lose any sleep over the trauma that this will cause the confused 6th grader who thought they were doing the right thing by working hard and performing and who thought they had found a peer group where they could belong and help others develop.  It's a strange and bizarre world in club lacrosse.  It's a cult, really.  Have you been initiated?  It's a hard road to travel with blood, sweat and tears along the way.  Be on guard.