... it's what you're gonna GET.

I respect and agree with the comments about the benefits of HS ball. Personally, I think the coaching and competition is far below club ball, but I put tremendous value on what HS sports do for community and opportunity for kids.

But I don't think that's gonna matter.

Youth sports have inelastic demand. Look at how much more expensive club is today than ten years ago... yet there are more teams, tournaments and private lessons to spend your money on than ever before. This is EXACTLY the situation that institutional investors salivate over.

You might pull back on eating out during the next recession, but you're not going to tell your kid that you can't play for the Bandits and instead need to play community travel.

I loved my local dentist. He sold to PE. I loved my local plumber. He sold to PE. I liked the guy who services my furnace. He sold to PE. The locusts are coming for our fields next!

My own forecast is that HS sports aren't going to "go away" - but they're going to be talent drained by club options. The HS teams of the future will be for freshman or those who [whose parents] don't have dreams of playing in college...