How many travel teams are in Ohio?

[default]

I am doing some thinking about unresponsive National organizations and disorganized tournaments and trying to brainstorm a better way - or at least one that gives teams more clout.

Here is something I need some guesses at to help me.

How many travel softball teams are there in Ohio?

I am interested in opinions by age group, 12U, 14U, and 16U primarily. (I believe the vast majority of 18U teams have different interests in how they select tournaments.)

I am asking about travel only - the rec all-star teams and pick-up teams that get put together to play end of season tournaments are a different subject.

What if I said

12U - 80 teams
14U - 120 teams
16U - 150 teams


Any thoughts?

 

[default]

I would guess that the numbers are upside down. 12u has got to have the most teams, then less at 14u and even less at 16u. Absolutely no facts to back it up, just what it seems to be.

 

[default]

I would guess something like...

12-U - 150
14-U - 175
16-U - 130

I could be wrong, certainly. I am thinking of teams that play tournaments pretty much every weekend.

 

[default]

Most of the tournaments we attended, the 14u almost doubled the amount of teams than the 12u.

 

[default]

wow

 

[default]

Just an opinion - no facts - I think Joe A is close - maybe high by 25 in each group.

 

[default]

way too many

 

[default]

woweeeee. that many ?

 

[default]

A lot depends on your definition of a "travel team". Where do you draw the line? There are literally hundreds of summer teams that play summer tournaments, but not all teams have the same agenda. IMO, N$A (for one) will continue to take advantage of the fact that teams can simply "buy in" to a "world series qualifier". As long as this concept exists, you will have a division of teams without any incentive to excel. That is the root of everyone's problem with N$A in Ohio. It's easy - everybody wins - then we all go get ice cream. As long as there are profits to be made and there are plenty of willing customers, N$A, and others like it, will continue business as usual.

I sincerely hope you can come up with an alternative. Any way you slice it, it will be a HUGE undertaking. Maybe something along the lines of a non-profit "All Ohio League" with different divisions from various geographic areas? Top seeds from each "district" could play in a bracketed tournament at the end of July? Gee - that sounds like what OHSAA tried to do!

 

[default]

12U...150. Way too many. If you divided the state into 5 regions, Central and the 4 corners each region would have to have 30 teams. SW Ohio does not have 30 12U teams. SE Ohio does not have 30 12U teams. Everybody there plays for the Wild Thangs ;D just kidding. Columbus area does not have 30. Maybe Cleveland, don't know. I'd say cut his numbers in half. Wild guess

 

[default]

Here is a site I found....I do not think it includes all of them though...


http://www.game-ex.com/softball/16underteams.htm

Mark

 

[default]

:-/Hmnn :-/

 

[default]

If you really want to know, see if the sanctioning bodies can tell you how many teams sanctioned this year with their organization. Obviously, the totals won't be exact, but I would imagine that NSA wouldn't be too far off, maybe 10-15% (?). Anyway, if they are a travel team, they have sanctioned with at least one organization.

 

[default]

Here is a site I found....I do not think it includes all of them though...


http://www.game-ex.com/softball/16underteams.htm

Mark

Valley Extreme isn't even on the list. So how many others aren't there??

 

[default]

[quote author=Strohbro link=1217298930/0#10 date=1217381039]Here is a site I found....I do not think it includes all of them though...


http://www.game-ex.com/softball/16underteams.htm

Mark

Valley Extreme isn't even on the list. ?So how many others aren't there??[/quote]

That list is over 5 years old and many of those teams no longer exist