The Shift Has Already Started
The future of sports isn’t coming—it’s already here. While professional athletes in Major League sports are paid, operate under salary caps, and engage in revenue sharing, the college game is quickly catching up. Division I athletes are now beginning to share in the revenue they help generate. And if you look closely, you’ll see that youth sports—especially baseball—aren’t far behind.
As a proud Georgian and lifelong supporter of the SEC (which I consider the most competitive conference in college baseball, football, and basketball), I believe we’ll see a significant transformation in the next 3–5 years: youth sports evolving from pay-to-play to play-for-pay.
The Origin of Travel Ball—and Where We Are Now
In 1985, Guerry Baldwin launched East Cobb Baseball—not inventing travel baseball altogether, but establishing the version of it that changed the game forever. His model centered on developing elite players who could one day become Major Leaguers. The standard was high, the cost was secondary to the commitment.
Today, youth sports is a $39 billion industry, outpacing even the NFL’s $29 billion footprint. But the meaning of “travel ball” has shifted. What was once a system to find and elevate the most talented players has become a marketplace—if you can pay, you can play. Talent is optional.
Travel Ball vs. Pay-to-Play
Elite travel teams once reflected the highest levels of competition. Players were selected based on merit. The focus was development and exposure to top-tier competition. Now, the system often favors access over ability. Anyone with the funds can join a team and enter a tournament. This isn’t inherently bad—but it’s a different game.
Still, in every industry—education, fashion, dining, lodging—there’s an elite tier. The same is true in sports. And we’re moving toward an era where that elite tier won’t just play, they’ll be paid.
The Play-for-Pay Era: What’s Coming
As someone whose job is to think ahead, I believe we’re heading toward a play-for-pay model in elite youth baseball. Players will be compensated for their talent, not just given the opportunity to play because they can afford it.
Here are 10 things that could happen to make it so:
- NIL laws expanding nationwide, opening compensation for high school athletes.
- Corporations creating branded youth teams with fully funded rosters and player stipends.
- Streaming and social media monetization from youth games, creating revenue to be shared.
- Private investment in youth athletes with returns tied to future contracts.
- Creation of “super leagues” for youth modeled after elite college conferences like the SEC.
- Youth players signing development contracts similar to European soccer academies.
- Standardized youth scouting systems, making talent transparent and marketable.
- Unionization of elite youth athletes for rights, benefits, and bargaining power.
- Increased federal or state oversight on youth sports as professional pipelines.
- Team-based NIL deals replacing the current family-funded team model.
Where L.E.A.D. Fits In
At L.E.A.D.—Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct—innovation is in our DNA. We’ve never been afraid to challenge the status quo. That’s what we do: level the playing field for Black youth in baseball and tennis by providing year-round development and leadership training.
Even if they don’t make it to the Major Leagues, our student-athletes are equipped to become Major League Citizens—a term my wife Kelli (LEAD’s CEO) and I coined. That means they’re prepared to be gainfully employed, civically engaged, and radical philanthropists.
We do this by cultivating:
- Positive identity
- Social skills
- Self-management
- Contribution
- Self-efficacy
These skills translate. Whether you’re on the field, in the classroom, or in the boardroom.
Culture > Coaching > Cost
In elite programs today, you’ll often see that:
- Coaching doesn’t always have to be elite,
- But culture is,
- And cost is typically covered.
The best teams don’t just have great instruction—they have shared motivation, shared values, and sponsorship that removes financial barriers.
That’s the future. And it’s already happening.
Four Questions for the Skeptics
- If youth athletes are generating revenue, why shouldn’t they share in it?
- If we trust kids with scholarships and NIL deals, why not contracts?
- What’s truly unethical about compensating talent in a multi-billion dollar ecosystem?
- Will you resist the future—or help shape it?
Final Word: I Called It
This blog isn’t about stirring controversy. It’s about starting a conversation—and documenting the moment when we shift from tradition to transformation. One day, folks will look back on the play-for-pay model and say:
“CJ called it.”
So now the question is, who’s willing to lead into that future?
photo credit: iSmooth Media