I agree.
The youth sports “industry” is HUGE here.
These “baseball academies” are making some serious dough.
I was talking to Junior Hockey coach last year and he told me that one, and only one of his players received a scholarship to Providence College. I asked him how much money did his parent spend to get him a scholarship? He came back with about the same amount as the scholarship.
Also those baseball academies are a complete waste of money. Send your kid to live in the Dominican Republic with an old beat-up glove. He can play baseball all day long with future MLB players on an vacant lot.
Special hitting coaches, pitching coaches, strength/fitness coaches...
When I taught, I mentioned to one of my kid's parents that he would benefit from an academic tutor on the weekends, and you'd have thought I was from another planet.
They'd spend thousands to improve their son's chances of becoming a home-town athletic hero, but not a nickel to improve his long-term academic success in college.