Many college and professional basketball coaches in America would agree that freshmen/rookies report to their first day of work less skilled, less mentally equipped for success, and less coachable than they did 10 years ago. Although youth basketball is a billion-dollar industry and youth leagues, tournaments, and skills training are far more sophisticated and accessible than they were was 10 years ago, and major shoe companies are investing millions of dollars into youth basketball teams and camps each year, developmental (and character) skills still lag.
In this billion-dollar youth sports industry, there is plenty of money and recognition to go around, and just like any other industry, competing entities will find ways to cut corners, function more efficiently, and maximize profit and awareness. In the old days, major shoe companies like Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour provided financial and product sponsorship to hundreds of youth basketball programs of all ages across the country and it helped teams participate in dozens of regional showcase events each year. The idea was to plant the seeds of their brand in youth and solidify their position in sales for decades to come. This system directly impacted thousands of kids, and actually provided the framework for a thriving youth basketball industry full of potential stars.
Fast forward: Now these shoe companies have set up a more sophisticated youth basketball sponsorship system that only focuses on the best High School basketball players in the country. It provides a 6-figure financial commitment + product to approximately 30 teams nationwide and each team is micro-managed under a series of national showcase events each summer. Nike calls their series EYBL. These events only service the few hundred Super-Elite high school basketball players that are generally over the age of 16. Although this new system has slimmed down the direct impact of kids significantly, cumulatively, these shoe companies pour hundreds of millions of dollars each year into the maintenance and growth of their system. The idea is that by shrinking down the playing field, college coaches and talent scouts will get a more realistic evaluation of the prospect’s national competitiveness, while possibly saving time and money on travel and other expenses. The goals for the shoe companies include:
1) Having first dibs on the next Lebron James;
2) Encouraging players in their league to sign with colleges that wear their brand; and
3) Eventually there will be a super lucrative TV and publishing deal upon which the producers (shoe companies and affiliates) earn big bucks without having to compensate the actors (the players), which is protected by NCAA and state high school regulations.
This new, Super-Elite system is far more efficient and manageable for the shoe companies, coaches and talent scouts. It is also a great opportunity for the extremely gifted and talented high school players, but has proven detrimental to youth basketball and thus detrimental to the future of our beloved sport at every level.
Under the old system, it was abundantly clear who the star player (or two) was and what the pecking order was on each team because most likely, the teams were composed of players from a particular neighborhood or city. An important factor under the old system is that there were players on these teams that were not seeking individual national recognition. Those players filled a very important role in each star’s development by not only giving the star time and space to show and prove their skills, but they also provided a natural environment for coaches/evaluators to assess a star’s ability or inability to make players around him better, be a leader, and rise to the occasion, which is the true test of a STAR.
Yes, the old system was more segmented, and finding a marquee game that featured 20 super-elite players on one court was very rare, but why are we seeking this? Amateur basketball is supposed to be about player development and character building not what the fans, shoe companies, college coaches, and talent scouts want. Player “development” helps breed hungrier, well-adjusted, and humbled star players.
Under the Super-Elite system, the best of the best are competing against one another, and one would believe this is best for the athletes. There is a flip-side though. The best of the best are also teaming up, which leaves less time and space for individual development because everyone on the team feels entitled and empowered to the same time and space to demonstrate their wares. There is no pecking order, just a mixed-up blend of wannabe stars with little integrity. Even worse, the shoe companies threaten to pull funding from programs that do not consistently land high level star players, thus fueling the fire for an environment that is all about stacking the teams with talent.
Most parents and coaches that played or have been around the game at a high level understand that the “super-elite” environment is very cutthroat, unruly, and cruel; furthermore, there is a lack of loyalty, respect for authority, and trust. It takes great leadership and a master mind to manage this type of environment, and let’s be honest, there are no Coach K’s or John Calipari’s coaching High School Elite basketball. Instead, shoe companies are asking a pool of ordinary people who have connections to talented kids one way or another. Effectively teaching the super-elite amateur things like discipline, commitment, and character is becoming more difficult by the year. Only a mature mind with a strong support system will thrive at the top. Others will fall victim to the system and find themselves bouncing around and quickly deteriorating mentally and emotionally as their reputation dwindles. Why are we allowing this to happen to our kids?
The bigger problem is, the Super-Elite level system is bleeding into grassroots level, recreation basketball, and it’s already having a very ugly impact. Programs that are sponsored by shoe companies form feeder Super-Elite teams as young as 3rd grade. Parents and players are flocking to these programs as if it is the only way to “make it.” What’s happening?
- Players at a younger age are seeking to join top level teams rather than teams for the sake of improvement and game experience.
- Players at a younger age are having to do less on the super teams and are not experiencing the genuine adversity they must learn to overcome through competition.
- In order to make it in the sport, you have to really LOVE the game. In order for a kid to fall in LOVE with a game, it has to be FUN. Kids are being stripped of the LOVE for the game under these high pressure teams that only care about winning. It becomes less fun/recreational and more like a job, which they should not feel until they are at least playing collegiately.
- The “hype” around these teams and players from promoters to skills trainers etc., is causing an elevated sense of personal value, which has a negative effect on kid’s egos.
Ultimately, by anointing these young players too soon with an elite level status “EYBL” etc., we are communicating to them that they’ve accomplished the ultimate achievement, when in actuality, they’re not even close. Be careful, the Super-Elite system will ruin basketball because it’s brewing our most talented players in a pot that creates low-character, low-IQ role players with “superstar-like” egos.
What can shoe companies do to improve the direction of basketball?
1.Do a better job of vetting the leadership of the programs they provide access to their sponsorship status.
2.Prohibit their sponsored teams from managing teams that are younger than high school.
3.Band together and take a hard stance on disciplinary action for disruptive, disrespectful, and low-character players.
There is never a perfect solution. But if parents weigh in and keep their kids’ long-term best interests in their minds and hearts, we can all make a difference. Kids will be shaped into better adults, the game of basketball will rise overall in terms of the level of play and the character of the athletes, and the cream will rise more evenly.