Rangers Foundation looks to ensure baseball is affordable for all with no-cost youth academy
It's hard to beat playing Little League as a kid growing up; however, baseball has become an increasingly expensive activity for kids, largely due to the rise of travel leagues and high-priced coaching.
That's making America's pastime a little less accessible for all kids. But the Texas Rangers are trying to make sure that doesn't happen here in DFW.
How can you not get romantic about baseball?
The kids practicing at the Rangers Youth Academy in Dallas certainly love the game. Kids like Isaac Coleman.
"I've been playing since I was three, so around 15 years. It's been fun," said Coleman.
And Braylon Hubbard.
"I want to be one of the best that ever played, plain and simple," said Hubbard.
Big goals for a 15-year-old. But he's certainly in the right place. The Rangers Youth Academy provides high-level training for kids aged 7 to 15... and it won't cost you a dime.
"Whenever parents call and say hey, what does my kid need? We always say hey, a sunny disposition and a good attitude. If they have their own glove, that's terrific, but if not, everything they're going to need will be provided here," said Juan Garciga, who runs the youth academy.
His job is to make sure kids like Coleman and Hubbard get the coaching and opportunities to play high-level baseball.
"There's a lot of talented players that maybe get overlooked and don't get those opportunities. That's really one of the things that is the driving force for wanting this to be a legitimate option for parents to sign their kids up and know that they don't have to, in essence, mortgage the future to give them an opportunity to play," said Garciga.
It's not lost on players like Hubbard how hard his road might be without the academy.
"Probably be trying to, not scrap for opportunities, but I'd definitely be... Yeah, I would be scrapping for opportunities," he said.
That's why Garciga and all these coaches come here every day and give these kids their all.
"I want to make sure no kid is not given an opportunity because of a financial situation, kids aren't priced out of the game," said Garciga.
Because baseball should be for everyone, and how can you not get romantic about that?
