Rich kids run basketball now

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

Heir Ball: How the Cost of Youth Sports Is Changing the N.B.A.

Pro sports have long seemed like the closest thing we have to a true meritocracy. But maybe not anymore.

www.newyorker.com

There is a lot to agree with here. Like there was one kid on one of my son's teams that would never be on the squad if it wasn't for the fact that his family is heavy in the banking world. His talent was height. I've held off on some stuff simply out of cost for my kid. As he gets ready to enter middle school, the high school varsity head coach wants my kid to play on the Under Armour circuit with Indiana Game. In contrast, I used to walk to various spots and hoop as a kid. I do that for my kid when time allows, just to play on the blacktop because if you are good, your game will travel and you'll be good anywhere, with anyone. There is a psychosis to it all. You can fundraise to minimize cost but for the most part, it's coming out of my pocket.

The biggest elephant though is genetics. I'm six feet even. My son will be between 5'9 to my height give or take. Eventually, you run up against people that are five inches taller than you and can do the same stuff as yourself. There's where rubber truly meets the road. That's why I'm pragmatic about this. I know how this story should end. Sadly, a lot of other parents do not.

 

[MegaTronBomb!]

If your parents didn’t play at a high level you’re not making it

Not all players parents made the NBA or WNBA but many of them played some level of college basketball or internationally

Knueppel’s moms is the All-Time leading scorer at Wisconsin-Green Bay and his pops and his brothers were high level 3-on-3 players

That's not the conclusion you should take from that.

What this does signal, is that many of the traits and genetics of his parents got passed onto their kids....and that because of their exceptionalism within the sport, they're much easier to fine tune training for their kids to maximize skill.


There are cats out here who engaged in full on eugenics ( Lavar Ball and John Brown) to ensure their kids would get the maximum amount of desirable traits to make their path in sports that much easier.

 

[King Poetic]

Questions for New Yorkers and Chicago heads

Do u see a ton of hood basketball prospects anymore straight from the playground or even those kids are no more

 

[RedBull]

Questions for New Yorkers and Chicago heads

Do u see a ton of hood basketball prospects anymore straight from the playground or even those kids are no more

In NYC, from MY perspective I see a lot of kids who don’t get fair chances due to favoritism and lack of exposure due to relationships. These circuits aren’t about developing raw talent, it’s about WINNING with the best players who have favor. Years ago if you was nice you got burn, even if you were a wild street kid. Now, you can be nice but they’re kids you're nicer than have supreme favor due to relationships or MONEY.

 

[HandyWithTheSteel]

NFL fans: Wow John Bosa had 2 sons become elite NFL players, what a great story

NBA fans: Let’s all pretend that NBA players having sons in the NBA is a major problem in an attempt to prop up the ‘90s.