Change is hard.

Chances are at some point, we’ve all flown the ever-popular airline Southwest. Founded in the 1970s, Southwest made conscience decisions in its business growth and expansion to do things a little differently going against what most customers that flew were used to; a risky business decision because getting society to change any behavior inevitably takes time.

So what’s so different?

Through their unique onboarding process of employees by literally rolling out a red carpet in celebration and demonstration of their culture, they are committed to “unmatched hospitality”, generous policies that include no change fees, free checked bags, low fares, and a unique boarding process that resembles a little bit of a cattle call for people, they have set themselves apart from their competition.

Not assigning seats is not for everyone, however. And that’s ok. Through the consistency in hiring people committed to their culture of hospitality, they have developed a following of loyal customers who now are familiar with the process of “checking in” 24 hours ahead of time in an attempt to avoid the dreaded “C Group”.

Their success and fan base did not happen overnight.

Change is hard.

Often it sucks because it’s uncomfortable or comes at the cost of having to sit in the middle seat because you forgot to check in.

Even the popular Australian kid TV program “BLUEY” is on to change and its potential for a positive impact. Every episode includes a bit of humor, real parenting challenges, life lessons, positive child behaviors, and diversity in its characters.

One episode in particular, “Pass the Parcel” highlights a popular children’s game; in the States, we are more familiar with something similar to “Hot Potato”. But the gist of the episode is a parcel is wrapped in layers of paper, each revealing a new prize a child could unwrap if they were to hold the parcel when the music stopped. In this episode, however, Lucky’s dad decided to change the rules to old school Pass the Parcel and wrap a single bigger prize in layers of paper.

The first time the children played the new Pass the Parcel, the children were upset and the parents wanted to go back to where everyone received a prize. Then something happened.

At the next party, the kids knew what to expect and wanted to play “Lucky’s Dad’s Rules” again when given the option.

Why is change important?

There are several reasons for change. For personal growth, when there is change we can see what's important to us. If we are only subjected to one way of doing things, then we believe this is the norm whether it’s beneficial to us or not.

In business, change is often needed to meet customers’ needs, invoke innovation, and keep employees motivated.

Most importantly though, just like both Southwest and Lucky’s dad realized, just because something is done one way, does NOT mean that’s the way it should or could be done.

Today’s softball climate is no different.

Currently, several patterns are seen at the travel ball level that are in need of change.

We continue to see new teams and organizations form at an unregulated rate because it can be done and has been done for several years.

Players have the freedom and ability to jump from team to team at any point as organizations race to hold “open” tryouts or workouts at any point throughout the year.

Travel ball coaches with no experience, training, or background checks are spending countless hours with 8u to 18u young girls on the field, in the gym, and on the road.

Organizations are franchising throughout the country misleading parents to believe their newly created team has a previous winning record, a history of successful recruits playing at the next level, and a rich alumnae group.

Certain travel ball coaches and/or presidents of organizations continue to cost families thousands and thousands of dollars making recruiting promises that often are unmet.

Tournaments continue to run at a breaknecking pace accepting hundreds of teams with little consistency in experience, field conditions, college coach attendance, and healthy game schedules.

These are just a few examples of the dirty underbelly of travel softball in which its practices ultimately impact how college coaches coach, what type of player/kid they are allowing in their program and what parental behaviors or expectations may to need to change at the next level.

So what can be done?

We highlighted in our last article We Are in a Softball Climate Crisis how ultimately ONE governing body would help hold organizations and coaches accountable for unethical practices, set up guidelines for who can start an organization, when tryouts can be held, and even a certification process for coaches.

But like Southwest, that isn’t going to happen overnight.

At the grassroots level, every coach (and parent) can start by doing a culture check. Not sure how? Start by looking in your dugout. Your culture is like a fishtank. Are gloves lined up? What do the bags look like? Body language of kids? Are they supporting each other even when not playing?

Parents, do your due diligence. Ask the right questions if considering changing teams or joining another organization.

We, at Softball Climate, are passionate about bridging the gap between travel ball and college coaches by restoring the authentic game, upholding ethical practices, educating parents and unveiling the truths.

Want to learn more?

Check out our website at www.softballclimate.com and find out how we can help you as a coach, parent, or prospective student-athlete.