I hear what you are saying about those attendance figures but none of those teams have a major league team in their backyard like Tech does as well as a Triple A team just up the road. I wonder if Tech wouldn't draw much better if they didn't have to compete with the other baseball venues like many of the other teams you listed.
More fun and exciting to play for more people in the stands. More people, more NIL. Honestly, not sure what Pro and Minor leagues nearby gets a player outside of seeing some Pros come workout. Scouts are everywhere. C did think it was cool to watch Freid pitch at GT. Sent me a video.
Given how much their lives revolve around baseball, not sure how much free time they give up on going to see a Pro or Minor League game. C went to maybe 2 Braves games and one of those was over the summer.
I think it was Kyle Peterson or Rooney that shared your thoughts on NIL. Going to be hard to keep and develop Talent as they chase the $$. There isn't any longterm loyalty within programs to the students so now we have the Portal and NIL. I agree and think NIL and the additional scholarship thing is really going to widen the gap between the haves and have nots. If scholarship choice is by conference....good luck keeping or recruiting top talent, if they are able to upgrade conference and get a full ride somewhere else....
Same with NIL. Tommy White is perfect example - came out lights out at NC State and said "See ya" off to get PAID at L$U. Not sure what happened with Christian Little (given he went to school early and then left Vandy for L$U.
I also think there is no way or reason programs should be recruiting 8-9th graders even 10th graders until after HS Spring Season. The Verbal commitment thing is a joke. Really only benefits the program to "lock" up a you talented kid, that could get hurt, or not continue to develop on the projected path or just get burnt out.
Would be nice if they were able to talk to and develop relationships earlier, without commitment and only commit summer between SO-JR and then all JR-SR, SR-FR.
All this also pushes the Travel Ball agenda and money train. 12-14U showcases and National this or that....SO summer is when we started to hit the National Train (PG/WWBA, Summer SO-JR, East Cobb (Fall Jr, Jr-Sr Summer/Fall), etc). That's when recruiting really was heavy.
Don't get me wrong. Roster management can not be any fun and these programs are “businesses”.
One of the local dad's here has a son (SO) (who plays nationally for Canes National) getting recruited locally and some other programs, hard, by the likes of Baylor and other Texas Programs are trying to "lock up" his son. 6'3, 155, throws low to mid 80s (never played HS varsity - not that HS ball means anything, but he wasn't good enough to make Varsity yet). Another local kid, also on Canes National. Locked up with Baylor as a SO (summer). Might have been his dream school, but he's highly highly ranked and could have gone to a much better baseball school on his skills and development since then. To each their own. Family decision. The first dad already mentioned they might take bird in hand with Baylor and then see how he develops and then take a better offer later (as the sharks still swim around and make offers, even to the "Verbals" until NLI is signed).
You also have programs shopping from the Portal, hard, like A&M (15 last year, 8 this year), Auburn (12 last year), South Carolina (10 this year), Miss State (11 this year). And we saw what happened to Texas Tech commits (this summer). All this portal activity is ON TOP of the 15-20 commits per recruiting class. It's a little bit much and very hard for kids to feel or have the loyalty of any program that is constantly trying to back fill you with not only younger players, but also other players same age/or above from other and maybe better programs. Everyone fighting for opportunity and playing time. Seems more distracted and disjointed than if they could reign in the over recruitment/portal stuff.
Definitely not as much opportunity or loyalty and development as there was in the past. Programs tout development and facilities, but then don't commit and develop as promised dealing with all the roster pressures and limits, scholarship restrictions, etc. I'm not sure if full rides for all players would ease the portal pressure or opportunity, but if the schools were mandated to keep and develop those they recruit and if everyone had a full ride, I think there wouldn't be all this Portal craziness and over recruiting and over committing.
Just my $.05.
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