Back when I played youth tournament baseball, we didn’t have sponsors, and if we did, they were a local company trying to help gain promotion while also using their donation as a tax write-off. Now entire teams and organizations have local sponsors as well as some big name sponsors as well. For my old tournament baseball team, Twelve Baseball, they now have various sponsors supporting their team as well as the organization as a whole. The sponsors for Twelve Baseball are called the Twelve Pillars, because of their support. Twelve Baseball states they “have initiated a partnership program with companies that share our values and commitment to positively impact our community. These Pillar Partnerships help us to achieve the goals outlined in our mission statement by helping with program operational expenses and easing some of the financial burdens typically faced by families that participate in youth sport. The Twelve is a family oriented organization and we welcome each of our partners to our family. To that end we will seek to support and facilitate the growth and business endeavors of our Pillar Partners, who provide the best services, goods, and opportunities for our members” (Twelvebaseball.com). As well as these pillars Twelve Baseball and the larger organization they are apart of, Texas Premier Baseball, have a partnership with Easton and New Balance. Easton has hosted several of what they call “Hit Labs” at Texas Premier events, former Major leaguer Kevin Millar even got in on the action on father’s day weekend, and even though Andy Pettitte was there we couldn’t convince him to swing a bat (pitchers usually jump at the chance to swing a bat). Back when I played when the Twelve was just growing, we had none of these sponsors, we may have had a local print shop donating some printing for free on promotional things we were doing.

How has youth sponsorship varied for whatever sport you used to play? Did you have youth sponsors for a team you were apart of?

Sources:

http://www.twelvebaseball.com/new-index-1#twelve-pillars

Patriotism and Nationalism are found in tournament baseball in small capacities. The American flag and state flags are usually found on site or behind the fences at many fields that baseball games are held, after all, baseball is supposed to be Americas pastime. Although most tournament baseball games don’t have the national anthem played before games with both teams in front of the dugout, at big events however usually there is a banquet and the national anthem is played. I have been apart of multiple large tournaments, usually on the national event, that have banquets and then the playing of the national anthem.

More and more teams are beginning to implement flag patches on their jerseys or on their hats or even on gloves. Companies have made bat grips/wraps that also have the American flag on them as well. I was working a tournament on July 4^th weekend and multiple kids sat outside their dugouts before the games and took their old bat wrap off and put on the American flag wrap for the day.  Some teams have even gone as far as to create American flag themed jerseys. The Twelve the tournament team I used to be apart of now have an American based jersey set, from the jersey to the hat. If they continue, they may even begin to implement an American flag set of cleats similar to what A&M baseball has.

Many teams use red, white, and blue as part of their color schemes as well, with the teams I deal with on a weekly basis this may be because of the Texas flag, or the American. Kyle Chapman Baseball, as well as the Beaumont Gladiators, teams apart of Texas Premier Baseball whom I work for is are great examples of this, a link to a picture of their jersey color schemes will be posted below. Baseball is known as Americas pastime, even now this sense of national pride is shown even on some of the smaller stages, youth tournament baseball. Although these examples of nationalism are on a small scale, they are still present everywhere if one would simply pay attention.

Sources:

https://www.hibbett.com/lizard-skins-independence-flag-bat-grip/34158865.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwjrvpBRC0ARIsAFrFuV_IxR55Zfgk8DFCPl-mBcALZ3Jek4I26ux0Uh6HhHujEwLTneAiKFIaAkQhEALw_wcB -Bat grips

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1707&bih=809&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=HlYvXdXwFJHRtAaP4YqwBw&q=twelve+baseball&oq=twelve+baseba&gs_l=img.3.0.35i39j0l3j0i24l6.48567.50597..52803…0.0..0.125.842.12j1……0….1..gws-wiz-img…….0i67j0i8i30.GLI714CSxRM#imgrc=aCZRMVruXS4_1M: -Texas Flag logo on Jersey

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1707&bih=809&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=VFYvXb77EJnbtAaZ5LT4DA&q=kyle+chapman+baseball&oq=Kyle+Chapman+baseba&gs_l=img.3.0.0i24l4.98137.102435..104187…0.0..0.76.1148.19……0….1..gws-wiz-img…….35i39j0j0i67j0i30.pFNaavy0Trs#imgrc=scYj-WyRSra1GM: -Texas Flag on back of Jersey

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1707&bih=809&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=vlYvXdOxA9OqtQa6ooTIBw&q=Baseball+gloves+with+flag+logos&oq=Baseball+gloves+with+flag+logos&gs_l=img.3…38575.43995..44326…0.0..0.83.1898.31……0….1..gws-wiz-img…….35i39j0i67j0j0i8i30j0i24.G0__B4YKD1o#imgrc=s80FPViCPNPToM: -Glove with American flag patch

https://www.google.com/search?q=Kyle+Chapman+baseball&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi2z_2YurzjAhVKVc0KHSMSAI8Q_AUIESgC&biw=1707&bih=809&dpr=1.13#imgrc=WFJzF3dHpjH7MM: -Beaumont Gladiators Jerseys

https://www.google.com/search?q=Kyle+Chapman+baseball&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi2z_2YurzjAhVKVc0KHSMSAI8Q_AUIESgC&biw=1707&bih=809&dpr=1.13#imgrc=6yzYhhIfFv02SM: -Kyle Chapman Jerseys

Now days a company or organization almost must have some form of social media presence. Social media platforms allow for quick and easy ways to interact with followers and get ideas out at the click of a few buttons.  In regards of sports, sport organizations, and athletes this is no different. Fans can interact with their favorite teams and players and the athlete or organization can easily interact (or not interact) if they choose. Fans can also interact with sport organizations to give them feedback about positive or negative experiences they had at the sporting event. However, having the added presence of an actual website allows sport organizations to expand on what is occurring surrounding the organization in a set amount of characters, or via pictures and captions. Social media accounts can allow the linkage to other websites by embedding the links, links can also be added to the website to other websites as well. Websites or information one is looking for can usually be found by a quick google search, sometimes on social media information or organizations can be harder to find. Websites are also viewed more times as more ‘professional’ as well and the interactions and stories are portrayed that way.

In the tournaments I help run many times the social media platforms are used to bombard followers almost rather than offer great insightful stories, however on their websites one gets much more insight and knowledge into what is going on as well as insight into the backstory of both organizations. It is also easier for fans/parents/players to go online to the websites and find the schedules for what fields and game times than social media platforms, usually because the social media platforms just have embedded links to the actual website anyways.

Stats of any type of sport used to be kept the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper. And for many fans and parents this manner of keeping stats keeps them involved with the game and makes them pay attention in a little more detail-oriented way. Although this method is still around technology advancements have made keeping up with stats a lot simpler and more convenient. The advancements of such technologies such as excel sheets, web based stat tracking companies, GameChanger, as well as other technologies. Just think about watching ESPN or some other major sports network and they pull out some crazy wild stat out of the air, “this is the first time since 1988 a player has hit three triples off of nothing but 0-2 pitches”, they aren’t pulling those stats out of thousands and thousands of pages of stats in the booth, they have some form of stat tracking technology they are referencing. Newspapers still have sporting stats in their papers for those who like reading the stories as well, but stats are mainly found and looked up online now. Scoreboards and their advancements with on screen data (such as pictures, or short videos) also allow fans to keep up with season stats as well as that games stats on the screen. Without this type of technology every fan would have to keep up with how #8 Braden Shewmake’s every at bat to know how he has done throughout the day in the 9^th inning. This type of stat tracking technology is used in every sport, not just baseball. In football it would be very difficult to keep up with the amount of incomplete passes Tom Brady had in the 2018 season if an individual was keeping up with those stats in a notebook, or what percent free-throw shooter Michael Jordan was over his career. These types of stats without technological advancements would be very difficult to keep up with flipping through pages and pages of data.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

Technology has changed summer tournament sports as much as any other aspect of sport. If you played travel ball in any sports before you will know what I’m talking about, especially since all of us are in our twenties or better. Now days social media and highlight reels rule the travel ball world. Parents want little Tommy blasted all over social media, they think this will give him a better chance at a scholarship. Little Tommy wants his name blasted over social media because it’s “cool”. Many baseball tournaments now have dedicated parents or paid personnel to run a technology called GameChanger, this technology allows one to track everything that is occurring in the game via the app. So parents who couldn’t make the games can now log in and watch from afar and have an idea of what occured during the game. For all of you who don’t know what I’m talking about go check out V-tool, Results baseball, or Texas Premier baseball on twitter. These three tournament sources will give one a good idea of some of the changes of summer or travel baseball over the years. @FiveTool @RB_Tournaments @texpremier all three of these companies also have a website one can check out as well.