Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Debbie Downer, get off the cliff. I think he was using the term "free agent" as a reference point to mean that players and families have a choice. I agree with him every year parents have a choice and do not "belong" to any team or club. Yet a lot of these clubs believe that the players belong to their club. Nobody is suggesting that they get paid, you need to get off the pulpit.


Agree.. I think we are all missing what national teams offer. Out of the 50+ clubs, maybe 10 to 12 team are really good. Most "A" teams have 2 to 5 "AA" players. National teams allow these players to play with players at the level. Dukes started it all but other clubs are taking it to the next level.

Dukes, the AOL of lacrosse, great start but poor management.



You are incredible. Less than 3% of HS lacrosse players go on to join a D1 team. You're kidding yourself if you believe the business of youth lacrosse isn't selling a dream that will come true for very, very, very few. The concept is that your kid is going to gain skills that will be applied to... what? To have more fun than the kid playing on the same size field with the same size goals, but without national teams and all the craziness around them? Why do you want your kid to do this? To have more fun? Because your next Rabil deserves this level of competition? Because you are developing a leader, a winner? Give me a break. You don't need a national team or even an AA team to do that. And, yes, my son is legitimately AA level, and maybe even national level. But, we won't push him if he's not enthusiastic about it. You probably would and then rationalize why it's best. You're likely wrong. Your kid will never look back and say he's glad he invested so much of his youth playing lacrosse while other things fell to the wayside. He'll never say that making the sacrifices were worth it. Unless, and this applies to a very select few, he takes the sport to college, has the success he did as a kid, and uses it to his advantage upon graduating. Wake up. Have a talk with your kid about what he really wants to do in his youth. If everybody on this thread had that talk, somebody would be lying if everyone said that their kid buys into all of this. Is that someone you by any chance? It's someone here. Or, am I the only one talking the ugly truth that nobody else can face?