Jason Collinsworth: When Youth Sports Stops Being Fun

Rhett Parker: Hi, and welcome to another episode of surviving youth sports. And today I'm excited because one of the reasons I started doing this podcast is because of people like our guest here, Jason Collins worth from I soccer podcast. I love the name. It caught me. Jason. Welcome to show. Jason Collinsworth: Thanks for having me guys. Rhett Parker: So why do you name the podcast that I've been dying to ask you this for probably a year? Jason Collinsworth: Measurable, that's measurable. Another one that he does is a 8v8, it's a figure eight, or a 8v8, a figure eight, 10 yards, and how many figure eights can you ⁓ do ⁓ in ⁓ one minute? And he usually, said usually the player that got the most figure eights be the best player. And then he would break it down to where it's right foot Rhett Parker: So. Jason Collinsworth: Okay, so, all right. background. I've been coaching for 22 years, but for the last 10 years, I've had just my own technical training company, ⁓ and supplemental to what ⁓ the provides and everything. every week, kids would come to me and talk to me about their stories about what happened at club or what their coach did or... Okay. And then he'd track every score and then he'd rank his players and then left foot only. And then he'd rank his players and it's a competitive cauldron and it's measuring technique. And it's a competitive cauldron of like, if you hit this amount of points, he would, would gamify almost everything. And if you had this amount of points, that means you got to start or that you got to, you got playing time. But if you didn't hit all these measurables, you're not playing. And that's how we can get rid of the subjectiveness of soccer. Rhett Parker: Okay. Jason Collinsworth: or I would talk to the parents and they would talk to me about some drama and I go, and I always just whispered under my breath, like, I hate soccer. I hate soccer because it was just so, it was so predictable and everything that these kids were going through and these families were going through. like, ⁓ I know exactly what you're talking about. And I know exactly what that coach is thinking because I still think like a coach, but I see it from the parent side too. And, and I relate pretty well with the kids. And it's like, I know it just sucks. I always just whispered under my breath, like, I hate soccer. I hate soccer I think, but still, there's no stats. mean, we know goals and we know assists and we know shutouts ⁓ saves. That's about it. ⁓ we don't, we don't track passes enough. We track forward passes. We don't track how many defenders you can put out of the with passes enough. We don't track blocked shots or blocked passes or ⁓ blocked crosses. Rhett Parker: Yeah. Yeah. Jason Collinsworth: it was going to be like the Training podcast because that was my ⁓ company, but like, who cares? Who cares about Playmaker Training? ⁓ then it's like, you know what? I'm just going to it. I hate soccer ⁓ and ⁓ just, ⁓ and it just caught wildfire. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Right. That's awesome. Jason Collinsworth: We don't track that enough. And it's just all of that. And it's so frustrating. And then imagine being a parent of let's say number nine to number 14 on the roster. Everybody thinks that they should be on the field at 11 of 11 because it's so close because that from nine to, so the gap from one to three, Rhett Parker: Right. Jason Collinsworth: could be larger than the gap from three to 15. And that's what sucks about soccer. I don't know if baseball's like that. Rhett Parker: Yeah. It it. Uh, let I mean less so it's but because man if you're 200 it's really obvious you're hitting 200 you know like you're getting out a lot you know, but it's also not as black and white either. There's been guys and I you know I've coached in college and and you know ERA is one of the worst stats around for baseball. Jason Collinsworth: I had a lot of my players starting to commit. And I coached a little bit of college. I coached at University of Detroit for a couple of years, just doing goalkeeping stuff, but I didn't really know the process of recruiting. So what I wanted to do was talk to my college players about their recruiting process. And so I had a couple of episodes with some of my college players and it exploded. And it was like, whoa. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Jason Collinsworth: Right. This is, people need this. And I had some younger players say, I learned more in that episode with Ella than I ever have from anything from my club or my club coaches. So I'm like, you know what, I'm gonna do this. And then eventually I had, coaches on and everything and I just grew from that and it's wild. Rhett Parker: you're a reliever, I could throw nine times and throw a scoreless inning on my 10th time. I could give up six runs in one inning and my era is terrible. It's a five, ⁓ know, whatever, but I'm really good. Like, I'm throwing scoreless innings left and right. So, you know, there are also ⁓ in baseball too. And ⁓ I ⁓ the know, Jason Collinsworth: Right. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Jason Collinsworth: Right. Rhett Parker: love it. I a parent that absolutely is a different sport, which is very different than than soccer. I love it. And it and the thing is, ⁓ naming that I was like, what the heck? Let let me let me just let me Yeah, let me ⁓ The thing that I try to watch for is, man, how hard are you working in soccer? feel like that is so ⁓ sometimes. Like, are just hustling around the field? Like, did you your best effort when you lose a ball? Do you try to go get it back? Whether you do or not is, you know, sort of, you know, irrelevant to me. And that's just a parent perspective, right? Like, Jason Collinsworth: Why is it called I hate soccer? Why do you hate soccer? I went MLS Next Fest and all these kids were like, if you don't like soccer, you shouldn't be here. I'm like, ⁓ my God. Just listen to the show. ⁓ Rhett Parker: That's funny. Yeah, no kidding. And it's, you know, we're doing something very similar, probably in a little bit broader sense. And we're trying to hit a lot of different sports. But the parallels between the sports are very similar. I mean, there's plenty of baseball players that I watch. And I'm like, ⁓ my God, you're not having any fun. Like, are you doing, parents? You're like riding your kid in the outfield. This is like Are you are you like just, you know, and and this is what I learned from 11 v 11. And I love your thought on this. You can't hustle around the field all the time. You will you will be gassed in 10 minutes. Yes. Jason Collinsworth: Mm-hmm. you'll have to get subbed. That's why I subbing limits. Especially that level, at the ECNL and the MLS Next level and whatnot and GA, is that you have to learn how to manage the game. You have to learn how to manage your body or you're getting subbed off. Because you can't just run wild. But best youth player I've ever been around, his name's Caleb Stanko. He just retired. He's... Rhett Parker: couple days ago at a tournament, they're like yelling at their kid in the outfield. I'm in the outfield, by the way. Soccer, I don't sit by people either. I'm like over behind the goal and like, yep. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. ⁓ no. I would hide. I don't have kids. I don't have kids, but when I do go to games, you won't know that I'm there. I watch from afar. Rhett Parker: Yep. I'm good. I feel like soccer is a very difficult sport, more than some other sports, because, man, you have to work together as a team. Jason Collinsworth: played in Europe most of the time. He played in German second league. They were up in the Bundesliga for a little bit, Freiburg. And then he played for Cincinnati in the MLS. What stood out to me when I saw him play for the first time at 13 was it wasn't his technique, it wasn't his goal scoring, it wasn't anything positionally or anything. When he lost the ball, he was embarrassed. Rhett Parker: And if you don't, it's hard to get noticed. And then you kind of have to be on the right team. But the one thing I've noticed, you know, and this is, I mean, I only have 12 year olds right at the are my oldest. It's a lot of people that root against each other. And I'm like, dude, this, this is awkward. Like, I don't want to hear you root against kids. I just leave. What's that about? Jason Collinsworth: It was almost like you stole the ball from me and he hunted that kid down and he would be a little pest until he got that ball back. Cause he felt like the best player here. Why am I losing the ball to you? And it was just intense. And that like you talk about the work rate that shouldn't, shouldn't be subjective. You should be able to just see it. But like you said, ⁓ that's real. ⁓ yeah, it's very toxic. Baseball's not like that. It's 11 v 11, it's 120 yards by whatever, 65, 70 yards, it's like, well, I mean, you can't just run yourself into the ground all the time. Rhett Parker: Yeah. it's in it's a team sport, but it's very individualistic. Like you can literally, you know, you have a pitcher you have a hitter, like you're that's very individual, you know, Perfect. I'm gonna let my son hear you say that and not me or my wife. Because because and and and I think, you know, going back to the to the parent thing, because I do want to talk about coaching and coaches with you. My wife played right and and same with me in baseball. If you tell him the same thing, Jason, that my wife does, he gonna listen to you. I'm not saying it's not toxic for different reasons, because trust me, it is. we're at a pre ECL deal Vegas for the twins. the California the California teams were playing, you know, because it was at that big Davis complex. So there's 16 fields, the comments of even other teams, you're like, ⁓ my gosh, this is awkward. I, he will not listen to her. you, if you have an answer to that, I love to know what it is. And I, and I just think it's, I partially think they want to just be their parent. Jason Collinsworth: Why is that? Rhett Parker: Let me just go hide in the corner. Why are you rooting against kids? You're talking 12, 13 year old kids. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. Yeah. And then you wonder why there's like fraction within the team because those parents repeat that on the way home. And then, you know what I mean? Like they're talking bad about a teammate and then that kid will treat that teammate so poorly. And if they're saying it to, if they hear their parents say it, they repeat it to their other friends on the team. And then it's just so toxic. And I don't know where that started. something Rhett Parker: They don't want you to be their coach. You know, and, and, and, and I told the twins, the only thing I'm ever going to get upset with you at it was soccer. Cause now we're starting to travel. We're starting to do all this other stuff. If you don't hustle, will not play ECNL. And it has nothing to do with you being good enough. You've been, I'm not going to go spend the money because you don't really care. Like you don't care. We'll go do something else and you can play, you know, whatever. Jason Collinsworth: bright. I think it's because national culture of ⁓ leagues is that culture, I think. I think. Because I don't remember, in playing community clubs and community teams, I don't remember that. ⁓ We never bad about another ⁓ player, because was best friends with them. I don't think these kids are friends anymore. ⁓ They're represented 12 different school districts. Rhett Parker: And, and that's the only thing, and we normally don't have a problem with it. Like if you tell me you didn't give a hundred percent, I'm done. We're done. We're done. Um, I think they just want you to be, to be a parent. And the tough part is, is when you play the sport at a high level, it's like, I'm just trying to help you. You know? Um, so it's, it is, it is tough. Uh, but, uh, g g g Jason Collinsworth: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Rhett Parker: All that. Give me your take on that, because you deal with a lot of parents. Jason Collinsworth: Kids feel like their parents don't know anything either. It's like, dude, I am like three times older than you. Why aren't you just, why? ⁓ I think especially if they didn't play the sport, right? Or it's like, know, I know, ⁓ it might be worse if you did play the sports. Like, I know, I know you were a star. I know, I know. I heard that, I remember that story. You what I mean? So. ⁓ Rhett Parker: ⁓ for sure. Yeah, I do. Jason Collinsworth: I guess, but I don't know. mean... Going back to our parent conversation about living vicariously through, there are some times where I've seen some high performing parents that do put a little bit too much pressure on, but it's usually in the classroom. like anybody that was upset with some of their kids, ⁓ it was usually in classroom, but I don't know. Rhett Parker: I think there's so many clubs here and I'll just use this as an example where you kind of look and you look at the best players. And you go, okay, there's one on that team. There's two on that team. There's three and, and, and like, they're all so spread out because there's a hundred frigging teams here. I take a step back from like, when we used to play when select was real in sports and like, those guys were all on one team coming from a 90 minute radius and everyone else played for their local teams. And Jason Collinsworth: Mm-hmm. that's fascinating to me. You know what I mean? But that's why, another reason why I wanted to start the podcast is because there's so much I don't know. And everybody does it, and there's a, what is it, a thousand ways, the skin of cat or whatever. Like everybody does something different. Everybody, parents different. Everybody coaches different, which is why this is so complicated. Yeah. Yep. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. That is so far, mean, Jason. Jason Collinsworth: Now everything is, almost like, it's almost like everybody was so jealous of those big teams that they're like, ⁓ we can do that too. And then ⁓ it's ⁓ that. Like in Michigan, where I'm at right now, it's all, everybody's buying up everybody else. ⁓ there's no small clubs anymore. ⁓ everybody just, everybody has eight locations and then. ⁓ Rhett Parker: Yes. And you're in Michigan. I'm in Washington state. The styles, the amount of teams, the someone in Florida. You can't say, Hey, this works in Florida. Well, it's different here and there and there and there. And you there's no black and white guys. There's not. Jason Collinsworth: Yep. Yeah. Rhett Parker: Correct. Jason Collinsworth: Exactly. Yeah, I was just talking about talking to somebody about high school soccer and he was in St. Louis. I was like, well, St. Louis high school soccer is actually like really legit. It's a really good level and it's so much different than Buffalo, New York, where scores are 21 and nothing or 13 and nothing and it's bad. It's bad. Don't even get me started on that. But I think, I mean, if you're two hours away and you're an ECNL player, level player, you just stay in your town, train with your town team, but you have to come and train with us at least once a week. And it's like, it's so far gone. And these kids are not friends. A lot of them are not friends because they just talk bad about each other. Me and my space back in Buffalo, kids, they don't go to school together they just Rhett Parker: Same here. Jason Collinsworth: It's ⁓ do you as a parent, so hold on, so the twins, your daughter is playing on your son's team. bad about each other because they go to a different school or they live an hour away and there's many clicks ⁓ well the Rochester kids are over here and then the Buffalo kids are here and then the Canadians are over here and the Erie kids are over here and it's just it's not a team. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Jason Collinsworth: Does he ever get like, dude, go to your own team. Rhett Parker: Doesn't bother. mean, are so oblivious too, man, as you probably are well aware. Yeah. ⁓ Jason Collinsworth: They don't care, but they also think that they're better and they think that... Rhett Parker: Yeah. And it's hard. It's not as, again, it's not as toxic as in baseball because you can be very individualistic. Yeah, and he's and he's I mean, as athletic as she is, if they go one v one, he's he like in the track county track thing or whatever. He won the mile he finished second in the 200 one that four by 200. So he's super fast. So if he's going to one v one versus her, whether she's the fastest girl or not, like are really fast, like, he's gonna beat her because he's a boy. Like that's just generally speaking, like Jason Collinsworth: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Rhett Parker: okay with people making money ⁓ in uSports. I have no problem with it ⁓ and can charge $10 and I can go man ripping people off because you provide zero value. You can also charge $10,000 and I go wow you're doing this and you're doing this and you're doing this and ⁓ my god and I'm like wow that's a ton of value man ⁓ but you know, and now you start to get hormones and and all these different things. So I don't think it bothers him too much because I don't think he looks at her and she with the boys plays in the back line ⁓ she, he is, you know, left wing and striker. So it doesn't, there's not really a direct, ⁓ direct ⁓ man, me say this to you, cause I think Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. Mm-hmm. True. I got it. Rhett Parker: When you start talking about clubs taking on more teams, and they got the yellow team, and they got the purple team, and they got this team and that and you're like, ⁓ man, that's, they can just go play rack for 190 bucks. And they'll be fine because they're not even gonna play in high school. It's money. Jason Collinsworth: Right. Rhett Parker: Parents should hear this, especially in soccer, that have multiple kids. They are so different, I mean, we've put them at left back a few times and it's, know, we're watching the ball, you know, we're keeping people on sides. Like we're not paying a lot of attention to the small details and she's over there yelling at people and moving everyone around and you know, and then she'll go up top and she'll look to pass. And we're like, okay, like. Jason Collinsworth: from parent, not living through your kids, because that is definitely happening. But it's also just, it's a status symbol. People used to drive Mercedes for status. Now they play ECNL. You know what I mean? I don't know. Mm-hmm. Rhett Parker: And then both of them are like, well, I don't know if I'm gonna play up top. I don't wanna play in the back. And we're both, we're kind of like, hey, it's really good for you to do those things. Go be uncomfortable. Go learn a different position. Go be different as a parent. Go fail. Because in the long run, if you're failing at 11 or 12 or even 13, someone might look at you one day and go, you're a left back kid. Because we want to play out of the back and you can really run and. Right. I, I, and I've said it a few times on our show, like my wife and I got to play in front of 10,000 people plenty of times. We don't care if you want to be great because you want to be great. We are very lucky to put you in great opportunities to go be great. And that's awesome. And if that's what you want, great. We are here to support and we want you to fulfill your dreams because that's what we want as a parent. But man, I Jason Collinsworth: Yes. Exactly. Rhett Parker: you know, we want you to, to, to, to, to be switching off because our formation, this is the London people trying to explain this to me. have, I don't personally have any idea what they're talking about. They just told me to watch the Alfonso Davies for Canada. That's what they mean. Like he comes out of the back and, I love it. And I feel the same way about baseball to a degree. Let go, you might be an outfielder when you're in high school, but you play shortstop right now. So go play the outfield a little bit. Don't care if you're great. I want you to be a good person, a good teammate. I want you to help people and we're again, very blessed. I want you to be a leader, man. I want you to make the world a better place. That sounds really cliche. sure our producer is going to put that into, you know, one of the clips or whatever. But Jason, it's true. I don't see that from a lot of parents, man. It's awkward. Jason Collinsworth: you Mm-hmm. Rhett Parker: Go, go, like that probably where you'll be. And if you miss a ball, it's okay. You're be all right. Jason Collinsworth: I think, okay, so I had a sports psych on last year and she said that the higher level, the higher the level that the parents played at, the more hands off they are with their own kids' development, as well as they let the coach just do their job. And I feel that... Is there there is there position specialization early in baseball or when does that usually happen? Rhett Parker: left. Less so. So at 11 and 12, I coach way different than I did at nine and 10. And I think the biggest reason I did that it's because of winning but like, you can't have people making errors. It's just you have pitch counts, ⁓ you don't it like, you have to have people that can make the plays at those positions. And ⁓ I told that are like, Hey, I want to play this position. And I'm like, Okay, well, are you putting the work in? Jason Collinsworth: in my own experience that I think that is a thousand percent true. Because at you and your wife, right? And like, you can call out the chaos. Some people can't even ⁓ out the chaos. They just say, this is great. This is awesome. Look at this facility. Like, you know what I mean? Look this event. Rhett Parker: Yeah. ⁓ Jason Collinsworth: Mm-hmm. Rhett Parker: Because if you are, then it'll probably show up or tell your little league coach because it's a lot easier. The game's a lot slower than it is in tournament baseball. we've had some guys work their ways into positions, but it's a little bit more position specific, a little bit at the club stuff. And those bats, dude, ⁓ my God, as a baseball player, those bats are so hot. I mean, you tap a ball, that thing's flying, which isn't always necessarily a great thing. Yeah. we ⁓ four and they're athletic and I'm basically an Uber driver a lot of the time after school. we don't go to the practices. We drop off Jason Collinsworth: Mm-hmm. you Are you talking about like metal versus like wood? What are you talking about? ⁓ yeah. Rhett Parker: Yes, no, I'm so so so like tournament baseball at 13 and below is not what they call a BB Corbat. It's a bat where the ball trampolines off. I mean, it they just you tap it and it flies you can have a really bad. Yes, you can have a really bad swing and the ball flies. And as a parent, you're trying to find the balance of like But I ⁓ mean, I pull up and there's just on the fence watching for an hour and a half. And I'm like, ⁓ my gosh, ⁓ you couldn't pay me to do that. You couldn't pay me do that. Jason Collinsworth: It's like it's juiced. They watch practices as as they watch the games. Rhett Parker: Man, I want them to have success because baseball is a game of failure. And I want them to like learn how to hit right and have proper, you know, hitting mechanics. So as a coach, it's balance, man. And as a parent, it's a balance of those things. But even more so in baseball than soccer, the puberty plays a bigger role, It plays a bigger role in baseball than soccer. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. Rhett Parker: Mm. Let your kids have independence. listen, if you're coming from, and some kids, people come from farther. ⁓ you've got a 45 minute drive, you're stuck there. You know, if you got it, but man, go in your car, go for a walk. Like go do something else. You don't need to sit on that fence line. Jason Collinsworth: It does that. Right. Yeah, I can imagine. I can imagine. Right, does that happen in baseball? Or is it just soccer specific? Rhett Parker: Because you touch a ball with that bat and you weigh 170 pounds as a 12 year old, ⁓ hitting home runs. That doesn't even matter what your swing looks like. There's a couple parents that hang around a little bit, but here's a big difference in baseball for my team that I coached, my 12 year old. know, one, played two, I bring in other coaches, a former players and college coaches and shoot our producer comes and helps out and he played, college baseball at a high level and Jason Collinsworth: heard somebody put it like... only in baseball where you can go where you can do you can do something 30 % of the time Rhett Parker: I can't wait to hear this. Jason Collinsworth: and make the hall of fame. Rhett Parker: Yep. It's a brutal sport. Jason Collinsworth: in soccer, if you're doing, if you win a ball out of the air 30 % of the time, you're on the bench by most. Exactly. Right. I mean, maybe a forward, maybe a forward because I obviously there's probably less goals in soccer than hits in baseball. But yeah, I thought, I thought that was interesting. You know, Hey, Rhett Parker: So there's a little bit more trust there, I feel like, but we also come from 10 of the 12 players come from city and most of them go to school together or there's only two middle schools. They play little league, they play little league. we're a very, and this is my last year doing it. So it is a lot different than what we're talking about with soccer. You're in the stands actually you're Jason Collinsworth: BINGO Rhett Parker: ⁓ my wife hates it. As a soccer person, she hates the she's like, why do people play this sport? It's boring. Yeah, she's a baseball, baseball. She's she's like, soccer is a beautiful sport. No great ball. And I'm like, well, because because we have our eight year old plays plays 10u for baseball, because he's a he's a really big kid. Jason Collinsworth: How much is it, comparing the two sports, how much of it is stats based? Where if you go three for four, I'm not gonna rip your kid. But if you ⁓ that girl run right by you, I can rip on you because, but it's so subjective. That's what I hate about soccer too. It's so subjective. Two coaches can look at the same player and think completely different things. You can't do that with ⁓ Baseball? Baseball or soccer? I think soccer's more boring than baseball. Rhett Parker: Yeah, I would say it is. Jason Collinsworth: How big are your kids? Rhett Parker: My daughter was my daughter's probably 5253 110 pounds may 115 pounds as a 12 year old. Yeah, my son is probably five foot 100 pounds her and then our eight year olds. I don't know how tall he is. He's like 85 pounds. He's massive. Jason Collinsworth: a number three header or a number four header. It's like you can either hit or you can't. Rhett Parker: Correct. You're right. Yep. And you're nitpicking a lot. And then this is why I you know, not to keep you're gonna leave here with a big ego, not to keep blowing up your podcast. But I'm trying to learn man, because soccer is very foreign, in terms of what you just said, because ⁓ my I don't to talk about my kids too much on this, but is exactly what just said. Okay, plays left wing play strike. Jason Collinsworth: At 12, yeah. Rhett Parker: He's left footed and he can really run, which I guess in soccer, found this out, especially in London, like, you know, it because they can't find anyone in the whole country, according to them that can do it for their national team, which is sort of a joke, but he's not the most technical kid. touches, his touches a little if he, but he also plays multiple sports. He plays baseball for two different baseball teams. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. Alright. Rhett Parker: So he's not putting in as much time and reps, you know, playing soccer as other kids. But man, you got some coaches my wife even said this to me that love him that are like, ⁓ man, he can play bad for, you know, ⁓ of the 30 minutes out there. But man, I'll tell you what, you get a ball, he's going to make a cut and he's going to make another cut and then he's going to score. And now the game's tied, but 29 minutes he's lost or he's given the ball away or obviously we've about my kids. Jason Collinsworth: Mm-hmm. Rhett Parker: And I told you before we got on, we spend about about a month a year out in London and they play on a team and go to trainings and they do some different things. That's not why we go out there, but we've just built great relationships with some people, you know, that played. One guy played at Fulham, another guy played at Charleston and the guys from Brazil and he's over there and he played somewhere Germany, I think. And so they're really, they're great people though. And we've built a great relationship with them. And, ⁓ and was telling, I was telling you. Jason Collinsworth: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Rhett Parker: and there's some coaches are like, ⁓ I'm good. And there's other coaches are like, ⁓ dude, could care less about the other stuff. You know, he, he, he runs. Yep. That's all we need. I love them. And then you're like, how, know, if you throw 93 miles an hour with a good breaking ball, ⁓ yep. I'm like, how can, and then, and then, you know, you get into that and I know nothing. you know, for everyone to hear this, man over there, the best coaches they have coach three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine for all the clubs. Like we, and I'm like, I mean, they're doing stuff with our now six year old where you're like, Oh my God, I don't even think we're doing this at 12. Why? Why? Jason Collinsworth: Exactly. You're to give that one moment. Yep. Yep. Every everybody's going to love you. Right. Rhett Parker: Oh, the formational matter. I'm like, okay, you lost me. Hey, bud, did you have fun? I'm like, cool. So how so from your perspective, how Jason Collinsworth: I think, think a lot of it is culture. I think a lot of it ⁓ the foundation, the technical foundation that some of those kids over there ⁓ already have because they were born into it, that they might have had a ball at their feet from ⁓ years old, three years old, so that you can do more earlier. And then, but, but it's also just how we look at the game versus how they look at the game. ⁓ look at the game as Yeah Rhett Parker: It is subjective. Is there any way to get over the subjectivity? Jason Collinsworth: Yes, but ⁓ not going to go universal because not everybody believes in it. it's Dorrance, North Carolina, tracks everything and ⁓ found how to measure technique. Right? How can you measure technique? Right? So he has a, he had, he doesn't coach anymore, he retired, but he, and he's won 20, what, 20 national titles or something like that. 13 to 19 is the biggest years of development. Them over there, they look at six to 12 or even maybe even younger now. Six to 12 is the sweet spot. And that's where, you know, I just partnered with a club here, Michigan Jags, and a guy that I used to coach for was the head coach at University of Detroit. He has A license, everything. You know what he wants to do? He wants to focus on the six, He has a battery of technical tests. How hard can you shoot with your right? How hard can you shoot with your left? what he wants out of his ⁓ players is a combined score of 120 miles per hour. Now, if that's 70 and 50 or 60 and 60, doesn't matter, but he wants 120 miles per hour. And mean, that is That, and for about five years in a row, to the U6s to U10s because it's like, name an A license coach that coaches U6, U7, U8, U9 because everybody wants to be pep. Everybody wants to be Klopp. Everybody wants to be Pochettino. And it's like, it's just so dumb. Like, I just can't, it's so important to have somebody that knows what they're doing, but usually it's a first year coach, somebody right out of college. Rhett Parker: Love it. Jason Collinsworth: for about five years in a row, whoever in preseason had the highest score, he'd put up top and it was their leading goal score. It's sometimes a parent that maybe played high school and ⁓ with the most important years ran by people that don't really know what they're doing or they don't know is this going to be like their career. I want the career guys coaching the six, the seven, the eight year olds, the nine year olds because hopefully they see development. I don't know, everybody a different opinion on development too. Some people are technical people, some people are tactical people. You know, whereas other sports, other sports is like, can you like football, can you run fast? Can you catch a ball? Can you tackle? your hand-eye coordination? Whereas soccer is just, everybody at the game differently, everybody looks at players differently, it's all that subjective stuff that we talked about earlier. And it's very frustrating. And Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Jason Collinsworth: it's upsetting to hear that over there, not only they generationally ahead of us, because why are your kids ahead? Well, obviously, honestly, they're second generation soccer players. That's a huge factor. Whereas over there, they're probably third generation, fourth generation. So it's even more in their blood. Right? It's even more in their blood. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. At least. Jason Collinsworth: at a real legit coach at 6? No wonder why our women have been caught like that. used to just dominate everything. And now, like, I know, I feel good about this World Cup, ⁓ not summer, but next year's World Cup I feel good about. After that, we might not win again. Because Spain and... Rhett Parker: Yeah. ⁓ but they're spent. We did some things with the London FA. They there, they are really wanting to get the girls ⁓ a grassroots level playing more and more and more. ⁓ the right now how they kind of do the future lionesses, which is kind of their national team sort of their structure. They only look for girls that play with boys. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Yes. And think, ⁓ and be honest with you, I think that the very best girls, they need to be playing with boys because that's what Mia Hamm did. It was good enough for her. know, Chloe Ricketts, who's currently in WSL, she ⁓ played with until 15 years old. And then she played one year of GA and then now she's in ⁓ WSL. So, Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's, it's, it is very, it's eye opening. And, and, you know, again, it doesn't mean that everything we're doing from, by the way, it doesn't also mean and I, and I love the fact that you say something, there's some really good parent coaches out there that are great for six and seven and eight year olds. It doesn't mean that because you're a parent coach, you're not doing a good job. And I don't want to let people know that. But generally speaking, when we go to this, Jason Collinsworth: Absolutely. Exactly. Exactly. Rhett Parker: Paddington rec park is this big massive park that the club that we play with over there has some other team trainings at and there's other clubs that use it and man, I'll tell you what intensity of ⁓ practices for the young kids. my goodness. It is night and here. It is night and day. And tell you another thing that's night and day. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. Rhett Parker: You know, and this is why I try to tell people in baseball, as you do in soccer, it's a big world out there. Three years ago or two years ago now went to my first EPL match. Okay. It was Tottenham Brentford. And we got there early. was just me, my wife and the twins and, and, you know, kind of go down the field and I'm just watching them warm up. And those, those bodies are different brother. Well, they're different. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. Rhett Parker: the just looking at the bodies. You're like, ⁓ my God. And I'm not taking away anything from MLS because we, I, my son did a lot to earn a trip to go see messy who's his favorite player and went song. But if you forget, forget anything, if you just look at the bodies between MLS team and an English premier league team, they are not even in the same hemisphere of strength. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. ⁓ Rhett Parker: speed, height, just watching them move. I was like, ⁓ my God, and not being a soccer person. Dude, these people are different genetically too, Jason. you the best coaches coaching the youth, and they're becoming fans the they're going to stick with that sport because they like it better. It's not the parents driving it pretty I mean, besides somebody like me that was out there hurting people the one time I practiced soccer. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. Yeah. Right. Rhett Parker: Most people play soccer at least at least for a year or two and and then they decide to do something else and you know, I will give The MLS credit they are at least in our area trying to do a little bit better Connecting with the grassroots teams at least the Portland Timbers are they are trying to do a better job Major League Baseball on the other hand and I you know as we stay is not doing a good job Jason Collinsworth: Okay. Rhett Parker: their age of their fan is going up every year, which is not good. They're doing a tee ball. You're gonna talk about boring, Jason? Tee ball is, you couldn't pay me to watch a tee ball game. I mean, it is antiquated. It doesn't make sense anymore. You got people, and the kids are not having fun. There's no action. Because it's gotten so young now, it doesn't matter. Jason Collinsworth: Right. What do you think? What do you think about some of the changes at the major league level? with the pitch clock and everything. ⁓ think at least ⁓ more people watch it. I love watching you know, and it's opening day to really, ⁓ or tomorrow. ⁓ But do you think that could trickle down? Rhett Parker: It's good. I mean, we, it's great. Love it. It is. It is. Jason Collinsworth: Because when we see changes in the soccer game, right? Like the goal kick back in the day where you couldn't be inside the 18 yard box. they changed it, FIFA changes it, and then now everybody changes it. You know what mean? So do you think that some of those changes can go and trickle down to like the youth game and the high school game and whatnot? Rhett Parker: If I asked kids, would you rather watch banana ball or League Baseball? They're gonna banana ball. They're gonna pick banana ball. So, and that guy's, you wanna talk about a genius? ⁓ That guy's smarter than of us. I mean, what a great ⁓ idea and I it. And I think Major League Baseball, I think they're gonna strike. Jason Collinsworth: ⁓ Banana Ball. They are. Yes. Rhett Parker: because I think you start talking salary cap and these other things. Like I think this guy, banana ball guy wants to get into youth. He wants to run youth tournaments and leagues. He's going to take a share of the market. He is. It's just, it's, it's the nature of kids attention spans too, brother. I mean, it just, it just, it just is. And, um, but I, I, I do think, and I've said this and God, I hope you don't hate me for saying this. Jason Collinsworth: ⁓ boy. Rhett Parker: I think if you forced every kid ⁓ to 12 to make soccer their main sport in the United States, can't play anything else, can play soccer, we would destroy other countries. I firmly do believe that. I do. Well, what I would say is you're also drawing the best coaches to do that, ⁓ I is a parallel. ⁓ Jason Collinsworth: Even without the coaching thing though, even without the coach. Right. Rhett Parker: to our athletes are the best in the world. stand by that firmly. there's some really good athletes and ⁓ I talking to ⁓ somebody over there. I think he's with the London FA or he does some part-time sky really nice guy. When I was in London, if Africa poured into there and I got to call it football because this guy told me never to call it soccer around him. But By the way, I'm screwed over there because if I say football, they give me a weird look with my accent and they're like, do you mean soccer? go, yeah, but if I call it soccer, I'm I'm screwed. So do mean your football because if somebody went to Kenya and it goes, here's 100 million dollars for soccer for the whole country. He's a Ken. Kenya would ⁓ mean, within five years, be one of the best countries in the world. Jason Collinsworth: ⁓ huh. Yeah. ⁓ huh. ⁓ yeah, you're right. A thousand percent. mean, Ghana has already beaten us twice in the World Cup. You know, I mean, yeah, I a hundred percent agree with that. Rhett Parker: So you think we have a cultural issue than we have a, yep, there you go. Jason Collinsworth: I think that's number one. I think culture is the number one factor. But then it's just like stupid little stuff that happens soccer doesn't happen in other sports. ⁓ the special, demanding that only play soccer. Does baseball players, does baseball coaches do that? No, because you know what, really? Rhett Parker: Give me an example. ⁓ dude. Sometimes, yeah. But they do sometimes. Yes, absolutely. I hate it. Jason Collinsworth: But they're usually three sport athletes. They're football, basketball, and baseball. Rhett Parker: Not, you cannot play three sports anymore. It's gone. hate it because I played three. I lettered in three sports and at God, man, I gotta stop saying my producers gonna get pissed at me. I gotta stop saying that because I keep getting cooked online every time I say it. But and okay, we'll get into it. We'll get into this. My son plays baseball and soccer, which by the way, are the two worst sports to play together. They do not mix with the seasonality. They just don't. Jason Collinsworth: Is that gone? Is that gone? No. Rhett Parker: And, and I've, one of the reasons I coach is to control the schedule because on my baseball team and on his pre ECNL or ECNL team, there's three guys that do both and two of his best friends. So I control the schedule so they can do both. I hate March and I hate April because we're trying to, yes, exactly. moving tournament schedules around for baseball and schedule. Jason Collinsworth: Okay. Rhett Parker: so that they can be at everything that, they're exhausted. And we had to sit my son down, and it kind of breaks my heart to say this too, and go, doesn't mean you have to play one sport, because you can play two. have to lean into a sport, buddy. If you want to be a soccer player, you have to lean into a sport. You want to be a baseball player? You got to lean into a sport. Doesn't mean you can't play the other one. But ECNL where we live, there's like no local teams. Everything's in Seattle. It's a two, three hour drive. got a team in Boise. You physically can't do both. The other thing is you have to get reps in that sport outside of your team training. Because as great as an athlete as you are, you're to get passed because there's going to be great athletes because Seattle's got better soccer players than we do down here. Jason Collinsworth: Yes. Rhett Parker: And he, we brought it up maybe 10 months ago. He started crying because he loves both sports. I go, it doesn't mean you have to stop playing the other one. That's not what we're saying, but you cannot play both at the same level you're playing at right now. You physically can't be at two places at once. And we're not going to run you into the ground for sports. just not going to do it. So this is a couple of nights ago. He doesn't, he's an okay hitter. He's a really good shortstop. Jason Collinsworth: Right. Rhett Parker: He's a good pitcher loves to run the bases and he goes, think, I think I really want to do ECNL and just want to pitch ⁓ and go, okay, I love it. And, and the good news, Jason, you can do those two things. Cause when you're a pitcher only, you'd show up the games you throw essentially and all those movements and a lot of the hip mobility and the different things you're doing with your body. Jason Collinsworth: Mm-hmm. Rhett Parker: help both sports as a pitcher. So I'm really proud of him because we let him make the call. We go, if you want to do both like and hit and play shortstop, then you're not going to be seeing how you're going to drop down a level or two and you cannot play 70 baseball games or 60 baseball games. You can play 40. It's up to you. I hated having that conversation though, brother. That hurt. It didn't feel good. Jason Collinsworth: Exactly. Right. Right. Yeah. Rhett Parker: As a parent, it pissed me off. Jason Collinsworth: It's a conversation that wouldn't happen 30 years ago. Rhett Parker: No chance. But it's one that is probably warranted and my daughter is playing softball. My daughter just played basketball. She said what sport she's playing though. She's like I want to be a soccer player and I want to do this and I want to here's my goals and but I hate to say it is playing little league softball. She's not on a club team. She was last year for softball. It was too much. Is not a big ask right now for this year. Yeah, you practice once, maybe twice a week. You got a game or two. There's not a lot of physical toll. She wants to be with her friends, which is which is awesome. But next year. She's not be able to play even that in softball. She won't. There's there won't. There won't even be enough time for that for her. Jason Collinsworth: Why it seems like, and I just had this conversation earlier, the professionalism that's taking over soccer, or at least maybe all of you sports, but it's like, why are we treating these kids like professional athletes? Like, why do they have to go seven days a week? Why do they have to have a training to game ratio of eight to one? You know, that's what we're shoved. And they don't. Rhett Parker: I have no idea. Yeah. Yeah. They don't. They don't. Jason Collinsworth: I mean, it's why is it so national? Why is it so national? Rhett Parker: They don't. Parents, you don't need to do it. so here's what's here's here's what's funny because because I haven't heard you talk about this at all. But I bet you we are aligned. Okay. Well, one I'll say in Europe, they don't play tournaments. They play in leagues, and then they do their training. But you know, one thing they focus on once they start to hit about 1413 1415. And this is something that for our household, we're telling them Jason Collinsworth: No. Right. Rhett Parker: is just as important as the training and the games. It's definitely not as fun. What are you doing to your body? And it doesn't mean lift weights at 12. But are you doing hip mobility? Are you doing some core exercises just to get used to doing them? Because it's you know, the testosterone hasn't hit those things hasn't hit as much. But that is just as important if not more so than any training and any game. Jason Collinsworth: Yep. Rhett Parker: If you want to be an elite athlete, are you doing ACL prevention stuff in soccer? My wife is over that. Jason Collinsworth: Right. Our bodies were not meant to throw a ball 90 miles per hour. Our bodies were not meant to kick a ball. It wasn't meant to do that. Our hips were never designed to do that to ourselves. And you better be taking care of yourself. And that's part of the overuse because everybody wants to train three days a week in every sport. And it's like, well, okay, then what's Wednesday and off day? I had a... ⁓ I had a talk with a girl, she is GA, she is 2013, so a year older than the twins. Okay, this conversation happened right around Thanksgiving of last year, right? I go, you seem tired, when was your last off day? She goes, Halloween. It's like 27 days ago. You haven't had an off day. She's like, no, I've had something every single day for the last 27 days. And it's like, well, there we go. know, and she's one sport athlete. Imagine if she played two. That's all soccer. And it's the dad sending her to me technical training. It's their club training. And then it's another technical trainer. And then it's physical fitness. And it's just like, it's, dude, ⁓ will. And she's like a smaller girl. It's like, Rhett Parker: End. Jason Collinsworth: she'd probably grow if you just gave her like two weeks off and just let her sleep. Rhett Parker: Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ my goodness, bro. And it's okay. It's okay, especially if you're doing multi sport and you have this convergence where overlap. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. Rhett Parker: It's okay to tell a coach, hey, we're taking a day off. It's okay to say that. Jason Collinsworth: No, it's not. Nope. No, it's not. No. Well, you're not playing. That's the crap they'll say to you. Well, you're not playing this week. What's your dedication to the team? Rhett Parker: It is though But that is... But... My dedication is to, is honestly, and I'd love to look at some, I love exactly. love to look at some coaches station that say that and go, I'm actually going to be better because all I did was stretch and foam roll and sleep and get a really good night's sleep and a good meal. I'm actually going to be better for the team. And, and I have told, you know, multiple people for baseball and say, if you miss miss, we'll be fine. Jason Collinsworth: myself? Yeah. Rhett Parker: You miss in a practice ain't going to make a lick of difference in the long run. You know, just make sure you're working on things majority of the stuff and honestly, you know, go play catch then keep your arm loose and you'll be fine. You'll be good. Like, but I'm in the minority. I mean, and, and, you know, and I say this to coaches, stop trying to make people feel bad for missing a practice. mean, ⁓ again, you're ⁓ for, for, for people like yourself, Jason, me. ⁓ my wife, people that played, you're not gonna intimidate me and scare me into letting my kid go miss a practice because I know it's not important in the long run at 10 years old. Jason Collinsworth: Right. What major, what major leaguer, what national team player remembers a game when they were 12? Rhett Parker: You're not gonna intimidate me. Jason Collinsworth: Very rarely. Sure, maybe remember the earliest game that I remember I was maybe 13, maybe 14. But I couldn't tell you how I felt like. Do you remember a practice? I certainly don't remember a practice. Rhett Parker: Only because my dad coached some of the teams. I brought it up in a basketball thing. I have some really great memories. But if my dad didn't coach the team, you know, probably wouldn't remember as much. Then I remember, I do remember a basketball practice station. This actually a funny story because the times are so different. I was good at basketball and my dad sent me to the Boys and Girls Club, away from our little town team. Jason Collinsworth: Ha ha! Ha! Rhett Parker: And the Boys and Girls Club had the true fonts who played in the NFL, all three of them. And the middle one was on my team. was playing a great up. I was the only white person there. And so I was terrified. I was terrified. And it was like the third practice. And they go, they weren't having a good practice. And the guy leading the team who ended up being a good friend of mine, he's like, anyone that gives up a point to the guy, their garden is going to get punched in the stomach. And I'm like, Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. Rhett Parker: ⁓ my God, I tell you, I didn't even look to score as soon as I got the ball. I like pass and then ran like to my guy to make sure like he couldn't even touch the ball. Cause I didn't know. I didn't want to get punched by these guys, you know, cause it was girls clubs, rougher place. And man, told my kids that story a couple of months ago and they're like, what do you mean? go, they're like, I go, man, people really competed back then in very different ways. ⁓ you know, ⁓ were Jason Collinsworth: ⁓ boy. Yep. Rhett Parker: Really good for Tacoma, Washington. We go up to Seattle play those best teams and You know in basketball I was recruited by University of Portland actually before baseball. So I was really good basketball. I played a you basketball too In high school and played select baseball so like You could do it back then you can't do it now But it's very different the mentality a lot of the best players all played on the same team The coaching was even a little bit different and that Boys and Girls Club team, we weren't paying a ton of money. Those people had nothing. A lot of the people on the team had single parent homes. They'd go to Boys and Girls Club regardless that they play basketball, because there's no where else to go. A lot of them had really, really hard lives after high school. And some of them aren't with us anymore. Jason Collinsworth: Right. Right. Rhett Parker: But those experiences, I only remember that one practices, but I do remember the experiences, Jason, of playing on that team and how it shaped my life. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. happened to our competitiveness? I know it's like everybody gets a trophy and all that stuff. Did that really change it? ⁓ changed parent? What Was it our parent? Yeah. Is it the parent? ⁓ Rhett Parker: It's not fair. It's not fair. Yes, it's not fair. That's what yes. Yes, that's yeah. Jason Collinsworth: Who is leading that though? Is it the non-athletes? Think about it. Think about the people that we grew up with that didn't play any sports. They're the ones leading this charge of everybody gets a trophy. Maybe. Rhett Parker: Yes. 100 % 100 % well, but they're also living by curiously a lot of them are trying to you know, they'll so I'll ask you this question. It was actually this question for soccer. So we're at the pre ECNL tournament or whatever and I'm going to tell you the people that talk and we played a few California clubs. It was really great and this isn't a knock on all the teams we played whatever but the loudest people the most obnoxious the people that yelled at the officials that Jason Collinsworth: Ha Rhett Parker: Talk crap to our side in one of the games. With the most unathletic looking people on the other team and even even a few members of our side do it sometimes and I'm like, I just want to bury my head of like. What are you talking? You didn't even play. Like and you don't have to play to know what you're talking about. I'm I'm a firm believer that there's some great people I've been around that didn't play ⁓ ⁓ you and. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah, I agree with that. I agree with that. Rhett Parker: You started coaching at 19. So, you know, you stopped playing very early on doesn't mean that you're not great at what you do. I'm sorry. I don't want to disparage anybody for that because I know some great baseball people that one guy's gonna be a big league manager. He played a very low end division three and he's one of my really good friends. But the reason he's the number one coach for the New York Mets on the bench is because he learned when to Jason Collinsworth: Mm-hmm. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Rhett Parker: dive into this is what we need to do, but not try to draw parallels of like, I'm telling you what to do because if he did that was big league guys would have been like, don't even, don't even come at me with that. But why are the people like, I, and it doesn't mean you can't say anything, but like soccer is notorious for chess, the craziest stuff being yelled out, you know, and Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. Rhett Parker: it at it sort of the kids that doesn't happen as much in baseball the umpires get written a lot more in baseball. ⁓ Then soccer. The one thing I'll say about soccer man the refs are way too touchy at least for were at least for were from. If you can't you all the ball with the other way and they're like blowing their whistle and like yelling you're like. So no one. What tell me about that because because I've been dying to ask you that like. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. I've never actually I never actually reffed I never I never was into it, you know, and I ⁓ I always hard on parents for being hard on refs. Because we need especially young refs. If it was a young good ref, I would almost protect them. Because I'm like, I want I want you to I want you to stay ⁓ as ref. I don't want you to leave. Rhett Parker: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I agree. Jason Collinsworth: And so I'd get on parents if I felt a players in like was in danger of getting injured. I always ask for explanations on cards and stuff like that. Like if somebody got a card for, for like saying something, I made refs tell me what they said. And I'm like, okay, sometimes I would treat yellow cards like red cards. It's like, if you swear to ref you're done. ⁓ done with you. Like you're sitting next to the next to me for the rest of the game. Cause this is dumb, ⁓ like, if I yell about this call right now, yeah, I might get a makeup call, but it's not gonna change what just happened. But I'm not gonna go ballistic on the sideline. It's like, ⁓ he gonna be like, you know what, you guys are right, you guys are right, I'm gonna change my call. I'm like, But I mean, I might say something a little sarcastic to make sure that I get the next call, but. Rhett Parker: Yeah, right. Jason Collinsworth: Parents don't need to say anything. They certainly don't want to hear from parents. At all. I don't know. Rhett Parker: For sure. But a balance of like, I agree with you, but like, God, the occasional all let's go like, let's let it go. Because what happens ⁓ here then they like pause it and then they start like, go like talking. And I'm like, not me. I well, the only time that I get pissed at a youth sporting event, and it's happened twice in soccer. Jason Collinsworth: It's... Yeah. coming and yelling at you? Rhett Parker: And once in baseball is when I feel like the safety is gone and they have no control over what's happening. I will, I will, I don't care who the official is. I don't care. I, and whether it's at my kid or not, my, I will go ballistics when that happens. I don't, I, I, I will stand by that. It happened in the fall and, uh, me and like a couple other parents, he's like, you guys need to go. And I go, I will leave. have no problem leaving. Jason Collinsworth: no control over the game. Yep. Yeah. Yep. Rhett Parker: You got this person down. You got that person kicked in the head No one knows when the whistles being blown and he's like you're you guys are a cancer I go this is not safe at all. I don't I mean my daughter got Completely and it wasn't the kids It wasn't the kids being malicious to one another it was pre pubescent kids half of them Pubescent kids half of them in a rainy game on a Sunday morning Jason Collinsworth: Right. Yeah. Yep. Not able to control their bodies. Yeah. Rhett Parker: Yes. And you don't know when to blow the whistle. The coaches are riding you. You're pissed at everybody. You apparently I found this out later used to coach at our club hates our club. So had already it already had started with him and the other coach I guess used to coach together. And I'm like, okay, like, you just threw gasoline on the fire and I went berserk. I mean, I went and we knew kids on the other team too. And, know, my son Jason Collinsworth: Yeah, that's always good. Rhett Parker: did something just with his body shouldn't have done. And there was like no foul, no warning, nothing. And I'm like, I will get I 100 % of the time whether you know, I didn't cuss I yelled very loudly louder than I should. And I told my kids I was like, I shouldn't I could have handled a calmer. And I apologize for that. But the my she my daughter was like, your message is 100 % right. Like, even the players were like, ⁓ man, this isn't very safe. Like Bodies are just flying everywhere. And so there was a baseball game that was very similar to that, where, where one of our players took a player out of the plate and it was not handled correctly. And I had to like step in there and handle it. And then they got mad at me handling it. And, and it, it, yeah. So sorry for this. You're the, you're the expert, not me. ⁓ but I, think that Jason Collinsworth: No. I am not an expert. I am not an expert. Rhett Parker: It's important for ⁓ to hear your message, And ⁓ I truly say that for me as somebody ⁓ loves watching your clips and listening to your stuff from a soccer perspective, because I know what's going on, man. I really don't. And I'm just trying to support my kids in a positive fashion. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. And I don't know what's going on. That's why I'm trying to just talk to as many people as possible because it will eventually maybe paint a good picture, but the picture is not even close to being done. ⁓ Rhett Parker: There you go. Correct. Correct. And it's great too. It's not the picture as good as a job as we can do with what we're trying to do for sports. It's always going to be great guys. It's always going to be great. Cause if you grow up in Michigan, it looks different than you grow up in Washington state, California, Florida, Texas, Buffalo Lake. so as we wrap up here and we're going to get you on again, ⁓ you know, and I, I would, I would Jason Collinsworth: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Meh. Yeah, for sure. Rhett Parker: love eventually to get on your show as well because again, I think what you're doing is amazing. And, you know, I bring I bring a very novice approach to this. one one where like, I don't have it figured out. I'm willing to learn I want to I want to listen to shows like yours. So, you know, talk to talk to the array of people that the novice parents, the parents starting out the parents that have been in it for a while, the parents think they got it figured out parents that don't. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah? Rhett Parker: you know, give us give us your final insight into, you know, the best advice. And again, you just said it knew no one's an expert, which is a great line. But but just from your perspective, for all those range of people give it get going around, going around about your best advice for the parents that are trying to survive you sports in the soccer space. Jason Collinsworth: pretty simple. We always complain about who gets left behind. With all these adults in the room, who usually gets left behind? The players. Make sure that the player that you make that your kid, make sure you talk to them and make that they're still enjoying it. And if they don't enjoy it, allow them to try other things. That's it. I mean, you talked about the conversation you had the other night with your son. There needs to be more of that, not less. There needs to be more. And it's a difficult conversation that how many people around the country aren't having. That's what I'm worried about. And just talk to your kids. Talk and just make sure that they're having fun. It's really that simple. you shouldn't use sports shouldn't be that hard. It shouldn't be that hard to have fun. God. Don't... yeah. Rhett Parker: Between surviving new sports and I hate soccer, I would say that, you know, it is professionalized to the degree where we have names of podcasts like this. you know, we're able to get on a platform to be able to discuss it because it fun enough ⁓ sometimes. Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. Rhett Parker: I'm going to add one thing to what you just said, and I want your take on this because you've obviously been around high level athletes and so have I, you know, played. Man, I spent so much time in a training room and I wasn't healthy and I have, Dan, my wife's saying things and you probably have people you've trained and coached and played with and against that whose bodies aren't great or who had to go through unbelievable amount of stuff that is not pleasant getting released I can tell you as a professional athlete is at 20 something years old is oh my god what am I gonna do it already I call my parents he like get their perspective okay like what like what am I gonna do for money like it's you watch TV MLS EPL all those things and you see the the guy makes a hundred million dollars to that that and what they have to go through to get there is a lot and you don't see the 98.9 % of other people that played with those guys who you know can't straighten their leg whose hips are done and it's not to say that it's scary I'm not trying to scare people off but like it is a brutal brutal to play college and professional sports at times on your body, on your mental psyche, on everything. And you wanna make sure they're passionate about it. Even if they're good enough to go do that, don't you want them to love their life? Jason Collinsworth: Yeah. You have to, if you don't have that, you don't have anything. think, and that's one of the reasons why, why I tried leave coaching for what I doing. Just didn't love it anymore. You know, I became more passionate about this, you know, and ⁓ I have and tons of coaches that I've had on here that say, I'm just trying to get off the field. I'm trying to, I'm so burnout and burnout is real. Rhett Parker: option. Jason Collinsworth: For sure, burnout is real. Rhett Parker: Yeah. And it's, it's your, your, and for the people that are struggling with some of those things, it's okay. Your path isn't just like this, it's baseball or soccer, it can be like this and this and that. And if you're passionate about it you're having fun, you know, ⁓ with it. ⁓ survive, right? Survive the hard times. Well, Jason. Jason Collinsworth: Absolutely. Survived. Rhett Parker: This has been great for me. I this is a selfishly like, this has been amazing. For me. Thank you for coming on and taking the time to talk about. Yeah, I mean, we've talked about. We even talk about enough ⁓ for perspective. So ⁓ I it's amazing. Yeah, let's do it. ⁓ I it. ⁓ And continue doing what you're doing, man. Jason Collinsworth: haha Yeah. Thanks for having me. Don't worry about it. Schedule me again. Yeah. Thanks for having me, guys.