re: Who actually likes “travel ball”

You make a couple of great points here. Having been involved in this for around 7 years now you can definitely see the benefits AND the negatives. Unrealistic parents are typically issue #1. Little Johnny/Jill is going to make varsity as a freshman or go on to play at LSU because they are playing AA ball as a 10 year old and so on. There are definitely some travel coaches/organizations that prey on uneducated parents setting unrealistic expectations.

Over training can also be a real thing. I have to be careful with my daughter to make sure at the end of each season she is taking a few weeks off to let her body recover. During seasons workouts are tailored towards maintenance and not gains. Diminishing returns.