I think you are probably right on several fronts.

On commitment, I thought about it last night.

I went back to last year. I made him go to the travel tryouts last year on the basis that competing and trying out is part of life, this year he bugged me to do to tryouts. Last year, he went to the first tryout but he said he didn't want to go the other 3 tryouts for travel because his friends weren't there. Totally fine with me and we moved on. This is another huge issue with rec is by grade but travel and development is by age year and because he is a 2010 birthday (12/31/2019) while the rest of is rec team is 2011 birthday, he is always going to be off.

Anyway, not surprising only going to 1 tryout, when the tryout made email list comes out he doesn't make it. We tell him and he's fine with it. 2 weeks later an email comes out saying he's now made the travel team. Seeing this as the cash grab it is (travel coaches get stipends but the soccer association employees 12 or so full time employees). We say no. I suspect it is the two times we say "no" to travel that impacted his ADP.

And, yes, there is certainly politics going on. On my sons rec team 4 out of the 8 made some level of travel - all at the 2011 age group. 1 was the coaches son and another was the assistant's son. The coaches son is good, the assistants is okay, so I think politics played a role in his selection to the lowest travel team (there are 6), which I understand.

Of those kids and my son: one kid has great footwork, skill and the best pure soccer player on the team (his parents are from Germany and moved to the US 2 years ago) and is playing on the 2011 A travel team next year, the coaches son and my son are the next best players but my son is the best athlete on the team and certainly the best on-ball defender and workest the hardest on defense. He is also extremely coachable and only needs to be told once to do something.

I've cooled off from last night but I know he will be disappointed. But, it is a life lesson that sometime life isn't fair and decisions have consequences. Sort of stinks he is learning this at 8.