Before she committed to the soccer club I made it clear that in the spring she would prioritize softball and soccer in the fall. Never a complaint from anyone until this week when some director of youth development who I have never heard from called me to discuss his concerns with my daughter not honoring her commitments to the soccer team as she will miss a few tournaments in the next month due to softball.

I responded that we made her commitment clear prior to joining the team. This gentleman said that was unlikely since they require commitment prior to joining so I forwarded him the email and told him we would now be leaving to a rival club in the next round of placements. Upon seeing $$ walking out the door he immediately changed his tune and was apologizing and pitching us all the reasons to stay.

I completely disagree with complaining to coaches about PT, or positioning, or any of that stuff, but it seems that the youth sports industrial complex has caused businesses to forget who is the consumer in these situations. My new motto is the following: "Don't let yourself get attached to any club you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner."