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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Nov 20, 2021 15:17:15 GMT
Texas Youth Football Team Barred from Playoffs A Flower Mound, TX youth football league has barred the best team from playing in the playoffs this year. Why? They are too good. The Flower Mound Rebels (7 & 8 year old boys) have a perfect record this season. It is their first year in the Keller Youth Sports Association, having joined last year during the pandemic. Now the VP, Rhett Taylor, of that youth association (and also the coach of the Keller football team) says “They are too good. I fully admit it,” he said. “They are a select-level team. They are too good for a rec-level team. If the team competed in the league's super bowl, he added, “I’m going to have a problem from the Keller parents.” What a shitty thing to do to this team! Personally I think Mr Keller has a big case of sour grapes and rather than deal with it has basically changed the rules. Rather than work with his team to improve, as well as learn to handle loss, he helps get the rules changed to benefit his team. Parents can be the absolute worst part of youth sports groups. Are there any DFW area peas who can weigh in? Is there more to the story than NBC is covering?
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Post by supersoda on Nov 20, 2021 15:40:30 GMT
“They are a select-level team. They are too good for a rec-level team. I'm from the area but haven't heard about this. I think the answer is in the quoted language, though. Youth sports are ridiculously competitive around here (private coaches, travel teams, pricey camps, huge fees) and it sounds like one of those competitive teams is playing in a rec league for whatever reason. I don't think it's fair to the kids who don't have the time, resources, desire, or even ability to play a select-level sport to not enjoy their rec league because it's being infiltrated. My kids were never going to be select athletes (and it's not something I would have given the resources for anyway), but they still enjoyed their rec league teams. My SIL's and now their children all played and play elite sports and it is a whole different world from anything my kids ever did. |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Nov 20, 2021 16:03:14 GMT
I don't think it's fair to the kids who don't have the time, resources, desire, or even ability to play a select-level sport to not enjoy their rec league because it's being infiltrated. I'm pretty sure the Flower Mound team didn't sneak in the back door. The board of the youth sports association had to have invited them to join the group. Now they have second thoughts. The proper way to handle that is to play out the entire season, then tell them it's not a good fit. |
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garcia5050
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Posts: 2,732 
Location: So. Calif.
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Post by garcia5050 on Nov 20, 2021 16:06:07 GMT
I wish there was more info other than that one sentence. Are they truly from an elite league and are playing on a rec team because the elite league wasn’t playing? Or is this just a really good group of boys with good coaching?
I hate it when people in charge impose rules to take others down (instead of working harder to get better).
My nephew (age 15 at that time) played in a street hockey league. One of his teammates was really really good. The people in charge of the league said the boy couldn’t play, as it wasn’t fair to the other teams (though the good kid played at that league since he was 6). The only way they allowed him to play was if he played with his left hand only. So they agreed. Then, it became a goal of opposing parents to video this kid to try to get a forfeit because the kid accidentally used his right hand. It was so ridiculous.
Good players should make others strive to be better.
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Post by mikewozowski on Nov 20, 2021 16:12:22 GMT
usually in youth rec leagues they have tryouts and then the teams are picked by the coaches. that kind of keeps one team from being loaded with an already formed team. this may not be the case in this situation, idk.
if the team is in the league, then it should bee able to play in the championship.
parents these days are ridiculous.
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Post by freecharlie on Nov 20, 2021 16:40:26 GMT
They never should have let a select level team play in a rec league or made it clear that it would only be regular season and not playoffs. At the time of registration
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Post by myshelly on Nov 20, 2021 16:42:33 GMT
I don't think it's fair to the kids who don't have the time, resources, desire, or even ability to play a select-level sport to not enjoy their rec league because it's being infiltrated. I'm pretty sure the Flower Mound team didn't sneak in the back door. The board of the youth sports association had to have invited them to join the group. Now they have second thoughts. The proper way to handle that is to play out the entire season, then tell them it's not a good fit. They weren’t invited. They signed up without telling the rec league they were a select team. This is local to me. It happens a lot with Rec sports. Select teams treat rec leagues as practice and it’s not fair to the other teams in the league whose kids genuinely just want to play for fun. There’s two different kinds of leagues for a reason. |
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Post by myshelly on Nov 20, 2021 16:43:33 GMT
usually in youth rec leagues they have tryouts and then the teams are picked by the coaches. that kind of keeps one team from being loaded with an already formed team. this may not be the case in this situation, idk. if the team is in the league, then it should bee able to play in the championship. parents these days are ridiculous. That’s how select teams work here, not rec league. Rec league is supposed to be just fun, everyone can play. Select teams have try outs. |
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The Great Carpezio
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Something profound goes here.
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Post by The Great Carpezio on Nov 20, 2021 17:16:32 GMT
Based on MyShelly’s info, and assuming it is correct, I agree they shouldn’t play in the finals.
My son is in youth hockey. That happens at tournament play sometimes, and it’s ridiculous, but a tournament is short-term. It also happens in regular district play, but it usually isn’t as egregious and there is only so much that can be done to be equally matched (but the goal should be to be somewhat equally matched). There is established criteria for each level, and associations have outside judges come in for tryouts to make it fair.
There are different levels for a reason. One of those reasons is safety. For example, my son plays at Bantam level (U14)— made up of 7th-9th graders)
Depending on the size of the association (in Minnesota we go by school district) for travel hockey there are AA, A, B1, B2, C levels and some larger associations have rec/in house. AA are going to usually have the older and certainly faster and more skilled kids. Checking is allowed at this level. They shouldn’t be playing B kids who are often smaller or bigger and slower and first year bantams. It isn’t that it’s just unfair, it’s also unsafe.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Nov 20, 2021 17:40:08 GMT
I'm pretty sure the Flower Mound team didn't sneak in the back door. The board of the youth sports association had to have invited them to join the group. Now they have second thoughts. The proper way to handle that is to play out the entire season, then tell them it's not a good fit. They weren’t invited. They signed up without telling the rec league they were a select team. This is local to me. It happens a lot with Rec sports. Select teams treat rec leagues as practice and it’s not fair to the other teams in the league whose kids genuinely just want to play for fun. There’s two different kinds of leagues for a reason. Thank you for weighing in. I had a feeling there was more to the story (there usually is). |
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Post by Merge on Nov 20, 2021 18:38:11 GMT
I just can't believe that anyone gets this worked up over football for 7-8 year olds.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Nov 20, 2021 19:48:25 GMT
I just can't believe that anyone gets this worked up over football for 7-8 year olds. How long have you lived in Texas?  |
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Post by mikewozowski on Nov 20, 2021 19:52:56 GMT
usually in youth rec leagues they have tryouts and then the teams are picked by the coaches. that kind of keeps one team from being loaded with an already formed team. this may not be the case in this situation, idk. if the team is in the league, then it should bee able to play in the championship. parents these days are ridiculous. That’s how select teams work here, not rec league. Rec league is supposed to be just fun, everyone can play. Select teams have try outs. rec leagues have tryouts so the coaches can select teams and all the teams should be roughly equal in ability. every kid still gets to play. tryouts are just evaluatons, i guess, but we always called them tryouts as kids. |
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Post by myshelly on Nov 20, 2021 19:55:44 GMT
That’s how select teams work here, not rec league. Rec league is supposed to be just fun, everyone can play. Select teams have try outs. rec leagues have tryouts so the coaches can select teams and all the teams should be roughly equal in ability. every kid still gets to play. tryouts are just evaluatons, i guess, but we always called them tryouts as kids. It just doesn’t happen that way here. Rec leagues don’t have tryouts. They don’t distribute the players that way (if they did, this story would not have happened). I’ve coached rec leagues for all 3 of my kids and I’m local to this story. I’ve got 3 nephews playing rec football right now. We do not do that for rec leagues here. |
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Nov 20, 2021 21:41:14 GMT
Texas Youth Football Team Barred from Playoffs A Flower Mound, TX youth football league has barred the best team from playing in the playoffs this year. Why? They are too good. The Flower Mound Rebels (7 & 8 year old boys) have a perfect record this season. It is their first year in the Keller Youth Sports Association, having joined last year during the pandemic. Now the VP, Rhett Taylor, of that youth association (and also the coach of the Keller football team) says “They are too good. I fully admit it,” he said. “They are a select-level team. They are too good for a rec-level team. If the team competed in the league's super bowl, he added, “I’m going to have a problem from the Keller parents.” What a shitty thing to do to this team! Personally I think Mr Keller has a big case of sour grapes and rather than deal with it has basically changed the rules. Rather than work with his team to improve, as well as learn to handle loss, he helps get the rules changed to benefit his team. Parents can be the absolute worst part of youth sports groups. Are there any DFW area peas who can weigh in? Is there more to the story than NBC is covering? It sounds like that is not the right league for them. They probably shouldn’t have joined it to begin with, but since they are in it and made the playoffs (presumably playing those teams all season) they should be allowed to continue. And next year join a league that is more in like with elite travel team. Hopefully they aren’t playing tackle football at that age. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 20, 2021 21:51:37 GMT
I just can't believe that anyone gets this worked up over football for 7-8 year olds. How long have you lived in Texas? Long enough. I still just shake my head at it. |
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Post by epeanymous on Nov 20, 2021 23:30:20 GMT
Rec league teams here don’t have tryouts either; only select teams do. I have a kid on a rec league team (we don’t let the kids try out for select at his age) where, this year, a bunch of parents pulled their kids from the select league and put them on the rec team, and I will be honest, I do not find it fun to watch their games — every time, it is them against a rec league team full of rec league kids, and my kid’s mostly-select-soccer team routs them 12-0 or more even with the coach telling them they have to pass the ball three times before any goal and with him swapping the defenders and forwards a few minutes in (last game it was bad enough that he literally sent a couple of his own team’s kids to play for the other team).
There’s a reason they separate rec league from select soccer.
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Post by pajamamama on Nov 21, 2021 5:42:19 GMT
Yep, this happens in PA with kids soccer. My kid had to try out for travel (select) soccer every year. He loved it, and was invited to play every year.
Now he's at Uni, and plays in an indoor rec league for fun. It is still pretty competitive, LOL.
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pyccku
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Post by pyccku on Nov 21, 2021 13:25:52 GMT
This happens in adult leagues too. Tournaments, everyone pretty much expects it. But you’re playing for fun and beer more than bragging rights, so people dont really care. But league play lasts much longer and league directors (good ones, at least) have to weigh the long-term effects of having that one team that destroys everyone else. When games are that lopsided it leads to fights and dirty play. Eventually, players just stop showing up and teams leave. This can cost the league $$$$ if they don’t stay on top of things.
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peabay
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Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Nov 21, 2021 13:34:22 GMT
When they say they are "too good" is there a chance the opposing teams could get hurt? That would be my biggest concern - if you've loaded a team with kids who are physically bigger, better trained etc... the little kids on the other team could be really vulnerable.
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Post by auntkelly on Nov 21, 2021 14:45:50 GMT
Is there a select football league for seven and eight year olds?
When my kids were little, there weren’t select leagues in soccer until the kids were 11, if I remember correctly.
When my son was playing tackle football there were no select leagues. You played rec football until you started playing school ball in middle school. Things might be different now.
My husband coached my daughter’s rec soccer team for many years and they were very successful. The team started in grade school. Anyone who wanted to be on the team was allowed to sign up. Everyone played in the games the same amount of time.
There were four or five girls who loved the game and were naturally very competitive. They really wanted to improve their skills and practice a lot. The girls who were less competitive and didn’t enjoy soccer as much tended to quit the sport or they found a team that didn’t practice as much. As other teams dissolved the girls who were more competitive asked to be on my husband’s team. The team got better and better.
My husband never once turned down a player for any reason when we had a spot on his team. He also never once recruited a player from another team, although I suspect some of our parents may have done that.
It’s just natural that kids who love a sport are going to want to be on a team with other kids who love a sport, just like a kid who loves to read is going to seek out other friends who love to read or a kid who loves to play computer games is going to seek out other kids who love computer games.
It’s difficult when you are a volunteer coach and half the kids are screaming “Let’s do that drill again!” while the other half of the kids are crying because they want to go home.
My husband also coached my son’s rec league soccer team and they were not competitive. They were a bunch of boys who enjoyed playing the game, but would rather go home and play computer games than run extra drills at practice.
There is nothing wrong w/ either team’s attitude.
If safety were an issue, why did the league allow the team to play all season, but won’t allow the team in the playoffs?
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