jman1
washed up....
When most of the guys over the age of 30 started to play we only had ASA, USSSA did not really exist. We played really only in Maine. The Memorial day tourney in Brunswick was DEEP back in the day. The Charlie Mull tourney was a good Maine based tourney in Brunswick. The Brunswick league had some of the best teams around as did L/A and Bangor. Then the rec killed it because they really only wanted KIDS to play on those fields (mostly soccer).
Very few companies want to sponsor adult teams any long as well, times are tough. These factors all play into it.
You have good, growing, teams that don't stay together because there is really only a couple of teams that can and will win. I agree you do not get better if you don't stay together but teams will not stay together if you have 1-2 stacked teams and the other 7-8 teams really can not and will not win. These better 1-2 teams are classified in the same division as the "up and coming" teams. The upper teams don't want to be moved up and the lower teams can not spend $200-300 every weekend to enter and go 0-2 or at best 1-2. It is hard to get better and get experience when you get in few games each time you show. The travel is too expensive to lose like that. I am a die hard and have an ability to pay for my habit and a family/wife that understands my addiction. Younger kids, the future of the sport, do not have the money to travel, pay the way and then lose often. The guys that can afford it will not or should not be "the first national bank of ......" to pay for everyone that doesn't have it or doesn't WANT TO MAKE the money it cost to play (way too many guys that want hand outs).
Worst you have teams that do well for years and will not move up because they ONLY want to win. It is very hypocritical of some to say get better and you can compete when you get better, then turn around and allow the upper teams to be left down because they want to place in the top 5 in worlds. So they stay in a lower division to afford them the chance to do so. Giving them a chance to win..... why don't you move up and get better? You can not have it both ways. Let me make this clear, I DONT CARE WHO I/WE PLAY we should be able to compete with those teams if we play to our potential. Some teams do not even have a fighting chance most of the time. I know "on any given day".... most are not going to accept that.
I understand also that other states are crooked and allow this to happen, but you can not do it just because others are and expect the growth of the sport. In Maine you are too small and have far less teams to do this. The sport will die. Good players will play out of state and young kids will just stop playing. League maybe (its cheaper), not tournaments.
cliff notes?