Coaches Recruiting Kids on Other Teams
by M.
(MA)
For all the coaches out there, have you ever bribed a girl to come to your team even though she had already committed to another team for the upcoming season?
I'm going into my 6th summer of JO softball, and I have seen this happen way too much. One of my teammates was bribed by another coach who offered her to play for free even though all the other players on his team were paying full price of $1000. My coaches have the policy of respecting a committment between player and team and they never approach a girl who is already on another team. Any girl who would ditch their teammates is someone we wouldn't want to deal with for an entire summer anyways.
And what about the parents that encourage their children to play their coaches in order the get the best possible team even if it means hurting other teammates? Yes a big part of 18U ball is recruiting and getting yourself noticed, but its a team game.
What are your thoughts about this? Is it appropriate for coaches to get their players this way?