← Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford
Stop Gambling With Your Kid's Future
00:15:43
Travel baseball isn’t a slot machine. If you’re pouring time and money into tournaments hoping for exposure, this episode is your wake-up call. Subscribe for weekly coaching on baseball development and long-term success. Parents of youth...
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All right, what is up, guys? So today is Monday, which means it is time for another solo episode of the Most Viable Agent podcast. I'm your host, Matt Hannaford, and for those of you who are new here, let me give you a quick little background. So I've been an agent for Major League Baseball players for the past 25 years. I. I've been in draft rooms, arbitration hearings. I've sat with families on the biggest days of their lives during the draft. I've seen kids who nobody believed in become All Stars, and I've seen sure things flame out before they ever got started. But here's the part that I think should matter to you, and here's the part, I guess, that matters to me. I want to talk about why I do this podcast. So everything that I produce, everything that I create, it is all meant for one reason. I want to have this stuff add value to your lives and to your experience. I want to prevent mistakes from being made. I want to reach more players and reach more families. So if I'm telling you guys anything that is valuable, please let me know. If there's ever a family or a friend that you guys have that you think could benefit by some of this or from some of this content, please share this content with them. I truly just want to do everything I possibly can to just reach more people and. And to share this message. And if it is helpful for you, I'm grateful. The thing I do want you guys to understand, I care deeply about this game. I care deeply about the next generation. You know, to my listener, I mean, I care about you, the parent who is listening in the car on the way to a tournament. You know, you the dad watching your son take BP on a Sunday afternoon, or you, the mom. You know, you guys sometime have the hardest job, booking the flights, hotels, maybe you're even washing uniforms at midnight. And the reason I care so much is because that was me. You were my dad. You were my mom. I care because, you know, I see the same mistakes being made over and over again, year in and year out in travel, baseball. And if I can help you guys avoid some of these things, even just a little, then maybe this is going to help your son ultimately have a better chance to chase his dream. But the right way, I'm certainly going to go down trying. So I hope you guys know that. Because of this podcast, I've been blessed to actually hear from a lot of you parents who send me messages with comments, questions about your own experiences. And what's funny is there's Been a common theme that I've noticed that I keep hearing over and over again, and that is so many parents in travel baseball, they feel like they're constantly putting in whether it's money, time, energy, without ever really knowing if they're going to get a return, if anything's ever going to come back to them. And it reminded me of something. And it's. You know, I thought about this and I thought, I have to share this with people. So what it reminded me of is it. It's like you parents are pulling the handle of a slot machine. And that's the image that I want to leave you with today. Travel baseball, parents are treating this game like they're pulling the handle in a casino. Money goes in, hope comes out. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. But the design of the system, it's all the same. Just like the casino, they keep you playing, they keep feeding the machine, they keep you chasing the big payoff. Now, for you, maybe that's your son getting a scholarship. Maybe it's hearing your son's name being called on draft day. Maybe it's your son starting his pro career. But I want to say this up front, and I think this is important. Parent, you're not bad people, because this is happening. It's not a huge mistake. You're not foolish. In fact, most of you guys are heroes. What you're doing is you're sacrificing. You're sacrificing your time, your money, your weekends, your family vacations. When was the last time you guys went on a family vacation? And why? All to give your son an opportunity. That is a beautiful thing. You're pouring your heart and soul into this thing. But here's the problem that I found. When a parent unknowingly treats travel baseball like a slot machine, what happens is you set yourself up. More importantly, you set your son up for disappointment, for stress, and in some cases, burnout. And that's sometimes the hardest thing because that unfortunately ends careers before they even start. But here's the good news that I wanted to leave with you. So unlike a casino where the house always wins, in travel baseball, you can actually stack the odds in your favor. And that is what today's episode is all about. So I want to paint a picture for you. So I want you to envision. You sign your son up for a travel ball team. Now, we know it's expensive. For some, it costs thousands of dollars. And it requires that you drive hours, you fly hours, sometimes across multiple states. Every weekend is another tournament, and you Oftentimes, hear from coaches or other people, yeah, man, this is the exposure you need. This is how scouts are going to see your son. This is what college coaches are looking for. And so what do you do? You pull the lever again. Another tournament, another showcase, another private lesson, another new bat, another hotel bill, another entry fee to an event. And just like a casino, sometimes there is a small payoff. The lights flash. Your son has a great weekend. He hits two bombs. Coach says, yeah, that's the kid everybody needs to see. Maybe you get an email from a recruiting service. Maybe another parent tells you, hey, so and so, school asked about your son. That's the little win that I'm talking about. That keeps you, the parent, feeding the machine, right? But here's the truth. Those little wins, I want to make this clear. That is not the jackpot. That is an illusion. That the big payoff, it's just around the corner. But meanwhile, I want you to think about something While all this is going on, what's happening to your son? What's happening is he's riding an emotional roller coaster. His confidence, it rises and falls with every game, with every box score. His love for the game gets tied to whether he goes 0 for 4 or 4 for 4, whether he strikes out 9 or whether he walks 5. And what's happening to you, the parent ultimately, is you're way more stressed. You're filled with anxiety. You start to play this comparison game. You're looking at the dad on the other side of the fence who's posting about his son's college interests on social media. And what are you wondering? Are we doing enough? I wonder if we could be doing more. And that is the trap. It's this constant cycle that feels like it never ends. Now, I want to dive a little bit deeper into this because it's important. I want to talk about why this is so powerful. This slot machine effect that I'm talking about, it's built on variable rewards. Now, if you don't know what that is, I'm gonna go a little bit deeper, and then I'm gonna pull back, and I'm gonna explain it all to you. So in psychology, this component of variable rewards, it's called intermittent reinforcement. Now, I'm assuming you've never heard that term, and you're like, what? The reality of this is is it is the most addictive reward system on the planet. And the reason why it's the most addictive is because there is not a guaranteed payout. There is not a guaranteed win. There's not A guaranteed loss. What there is is a maybe, just maybe, the next pull, the next event, the next tournament. That's the one. And that right there is exactly why casinos make billions. It's also why, by the way, we all have social media. It's why social media keeps you scrolling over and over and over. It's, I want to see the next thing. What's the next one? And that is exactly why travel ball parents keep swiping the credit card, the lights flash, the noise, the occasional big win. It's designed to hook you. And I'm not saying that these travel organizers are intentionally doing that, but that's the system that has been created. But the thing that I want you guys to understand is there's a difference between baseball and casinos in Vegas. In baseball, unlike in Vegas, you can opt out of that trap and you can build a system that actually works. And that's what I want to talk to you about today. So here's the part that nobody does tell you what matters most in your son's future, okay? It's not how early he's the best kid on the team. I know that's crazy to hear and I know people have probably told you something different, certainly feels different, but it's not. It is not how early he's the best kid on the team. And it's also not how many trophies his travel team has won. At 12U, okay, it really comes down to three simple things that I want you guys to understand. And if you want to jot these down, by all means, number one is development. Okay? Is he getting better every single year? Now that doesn't mean he's the best at 10, he's the best at 12. He's the best at even 15. One of my clients, funny enough, and I was talking about him to one of my clients dads today, he wasn't the best kid as a 10 year old, as a 12 year old, as a 15 year old, he didn't even come into his own. Into his own. He wasn't even the best he's ever been, but into his own as a junior in high school, that was the first time he finally saw how good he was going to be. And when I was talking to his dad today, he said, matt, my son didn't even really turn the corner until then. Didn't turn the corner. Now, keep in mind this kid that I'm talking about, he went from overlooked to becoming literally the Friday night starter in the sec. And then after that became a first rounder. So you got to Keep in mind, development, it's going to take time, so you cannot rush it. That's number one. Number two, you want exposure, but at the right time. I've talked about it a lot on this podcast. Exposure too early actually can hurt you. If you showcase your son before he's ready, you're really showing coaches and scouts what he can't do, right? So the key is to be seen, but only when he's prepared to impress. And that's going to take some time and it's going to take some patience. All right, so that's number two. Number three, relationships. You want to surround him with people who believe in him, who are going to guide him, and who understand. Most importantly, this is a long game. Okay? So the right coach, right mentor, the right advocate, even, they can change a lot about the experience. Okay, so that's it. Those three things. Everything else is noise. And I want to make something very, very clear. I've been Blessed. I've represented MVPs, All Stars, Gold Glove winners, even hall of Famers. And you want to know what's funny is not one of them made it because their dad spent the most money on travel fees. Not one. They made it because they got better over time. They were seen at the right time and they had the right people in their corner. Okay, so let me share a story with you guys. So years ago, I was representing a player. I won't say his name, but he went on to be a first round pick in the draft. Now, when he was in high school, his parents, they weren't chasing every showcase, they weren't on every single travel team. In fact, they honestly, they probably spent thousands and thousands of dollars less than than most of the families that were around them. But do you want to know what they focused on? Development. Their son had a throwing program. He had a strength coach. He worked on his body diligently, his mechanics, his mindset, even. They trusted the process. And by the time the right scout saw him, he was ready. And you want to know what happened? They didn't chase getting him 50 looks by scouts. They were patient. They were focused on his development. So when the looks came, which they did at the right time, he was ready. That was the difference. Okay, so I want to now turn this, if I could, into some practical advice for you guys. What can you, the parent, do? Okay, so if you're a parent listening to this, here's how to stop treating travel baseball like a slot machine and start stacking the odds actually in your favor. Okay? So number one, I want you to shift your mindset from exposure to development. Now, if you haven't done so already, I did a podcast with Craig Holman. I've actually just recorded a second podcast, but I'm referring to the first one. And in this episode, we talk about exposure without development. It is a complete waste of time. And the reason for that is a bad showing in front of scouts. It actually hurts more than no showing at all. So that's number one. Number two, I want you guys to start playing the long game. Your son, he does not need to peak at 14 years old. He needs to be healthy right now. He needs to be strong. He needs to be skilled at 18, 19, or 20. He's in college, but that's when it's going to count. So that's number two. Number three, build the right team around him. Find coaches, mentors, trainers, these people who. Who ultimately care about your son's growth, not just their own win loss record. And those people, by the way, guys, they're out there, as hard as that is to hear. If you. If you can't possibly imagine that there's any coaches out there or trainers or mentors or anybody who's actually looking out for the best interest of your son, those people exist. DM me. Send me a message. I'd be happy to make some introductions. Number four, measure the right things, okay? So stop measuring success by the trophies or by the social media posts and start measuring by his improvement. And. And the other thing that I want to say, and I'm going to say this multiple times, don't avoid failure, okay? But maintain confidence as the failure comes. I'm going to say it again. Don't avoid failure, but maintain confidence as the failure comes. The reason why that is such an important point is because if your son plays long enough, the failure is going to come. It's inevitable. Okay? And number five, protect his love for the game. If every car ride home mom and dad is an interrogation, if every weekend is packed with pressure, if every dollar you guys spend as a family is tied to his performance, you are going to kill his joy before he even has a chance to flourish. Okay, so why all of this matters? Honestly, it's because baseball's hard. Baseball is hard. The odds are stacked against every single kid who puts on a uniform. But the good thing is, is those odds are not fixed. You can tilt them. You can give your son a real shot, not by playing the slot machine, but by playing the long game. And the reason why I started this podcast, by even telling you guys my experience in this business is because I have seen it. I've sat with parents on draft day with tears running down their eyes when their son's name was called. And it's a beautiful thing when it all works out. But I've also sat with parents who spent tens of thousands of dollars chasing the wrong things, only to watch their son burn out before college or have the return never happen. And I just, I don't want that to happen for you. So in closing, parents, you're not gamblers, your guardians, your guides, even you are the single biggest influence on how your son's experience is going to go in this game. So don't let the noise of the slot machine steal the joy from what, honestly, should be one of the greatest journeys of your lives together. Focus on development. Focus on timing, focus on relationships. That is how you're going to win. And when Your son is 18, 19 or 20 years old, standing on the draft stage, God willing, or walking into college, a college stadium that you know he's going to play at, then you're going to know you didn't just feed the machine, you built the foundation. This is the Most Valuable Agent Podcast. I'm Matt Hannaford. Thank you guys so much for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it. Please like the podcast and please subscribe. It means so much. And as I said in the onset, if I can ever help, if I can ever offer any advice or I I could ever even do a podcast episode that is specifically for you, please let me know. I'd be happy to. Thanks, guys.