schools aren't the answer to pay to play

I agree pay to play is a big problem. However, schools don't seem like the answer to me. For one, the only sport where schools matter even some is football. Everything else is out of schools. Basketball is AAU, baseball is summer ball, hockey has its own structure, etc. And football is different because you don't have to start young to be great at a lot of positions.

My experience is also biased by very poor HS soccer experiences for my kids, and many of the kids our family has known through club soccer. You can (and I have) think about all the parts that are poor - from practices to social pressures on playing to tactics, etc., but really the fundamental reason is no one cares much about how the HS (or junior high) soccer team does.

To upend pay to play so it is worthwhile to find and develop talent beyond ability to pay, I think the financial incentives need to be there. I have the sense the success in recent youth development might be encouraging more movement in this direction, but it has a long way to go to have a broad reach.