What's in a name? The truth behind franchised softball teams.

Another day, another team changed its name on the front of their jerseys. Seems like once a week on one of the many Facebook softball group pages, a local team announces its affiliation or partnership with a “more popular” or established brand.

Call us crazy, but if you put a Lamborghini hood ornament on the grill of a Nissan, it’s still a Nissan. No offense to the Nissan owners out there.

*As with everything, there are exceptions to every rule, and newsletters for that matter. This is strictly informative for any parent looking to have their daughter join or try out for a team, now a franchised member 700 miles away from their original organization, or is being told their old team is now a different name.

In today’s softball climate, we cannot express this enough, proceed with caution!

In a November issue of Extra Innings Softball, in a time-appropriate article, they highlighted The Mystics Fastpitch program which now has a “South Jersey” team newly created in the state of Washington. Further into the article, they stated over the last 2 years, the SJ Mystics have seen a half dozen of their players go on to play at the next level.

Parent questions to ask in this example:

• If you are a parent in Washington considering joining the South Jersey Mystics, did that newly created team claim nearly half their players go on to play at the next level?

• What leverage does wearing an East Coast brand on the West Coast bring to that team’s tournament competition, buying power and/or college coach exposure?

In other examples, well-known brands are extending their reach from coast to coast with little to no requirements other than paying the agreed-upon franchise fee.

Some examples of travel organizations that have expanded into other regions are:

• So Cal (Southern California) A’s - California, New Jersey, Alabama, and Louisiana

• Georgia Impact - Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Carolinas, Connecticut

• Lady Dukes - “90 teams in 13 states” according to a FloSoftball article published in 2021.

• Birmingham Thunderbolts - Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia

• National Stars - New Jersey, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania

Again, these are just a few examples but more so here are the important, if not critical questions to ask as a parent:

• If your current team is in the process of establishing itself as a new “brand” or franchise, what changes other than the jersey?

  • Are the coaches the same? Will their teaching techniques and knowledge change with the organization? Did they inherit any proprietary coaching or recruiting philosophies?

  • Will the current players and their caliber of talent be the same or will your daughter be replaced more talented kid?

• Is the newly established franchise using the original organization or team’s success as its own?

Take, for example, this announcement from a Connecticut team using the Lady Dukes recent Top #2 Club Team ranking as an advertisement for their team that will soon go from the Jades to the Dukes. No disrespect to the Jades organization, but that achievement belongs to a different team and is misleading to use it to attract parents who think this team earned that recognition when they only paid the franchise fee.

Additionally, franchised teams will often use “alumni” or verbal commitments of their sister teams as their own as it will fall under the brand. The more teams under one name, the more each can claim they have commitments going on to play at the next level. Often on the home page, you will see a runner ticker of programs whose players have committed to.

More questions parents should ask:

• Ask your specific coach, how many of his/her players have been recruited from that specific team.

• What is your record under this brand?

• What experience do you have as a coach? With the new brand or team, what will change with your coaching philosophies?

• Is there a proven path to 18u team or is this evolving?

• What type of approval or certification process was involved with being affiliated with the new brand?

• What qualifies your team to be “Elite” “national” “Gold” etc.

• How much are the team dues? Do your coaches get paid?

• How long have you been an established team? How many names/brands have you competed under?

Franchising doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Our sport is growing at a rapid clip and the challenge is that its growth is not being regulated. Organizations are expanding with little to no requirements of the coaches other than paying the franchise fee and having the ability to use the notoriety of the entire organization to garner interest from parents, players and college coaches.

Buyer beware. Check under the hood of the Lamborghini and make sure there isn’t a Nissan Versa engine running before committing.

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.

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