The Pure Athlete Podcast

In Part 2 of this series, Brad, Britt, and Jeff dig deeper into the forces driving up the price of youth sports—and what parents can realistically do about it. They open with a timely anecdote from Rays manager Kevin Cash about purchasing a $550 bat for his son.

The conversation turns to private equity’s growing role in facilities, tournaments, and travel organizations. The hosts examine how the push for more teams, gate fees, hotel mandates, and cost-cutting can affect the quality of competition, coaching, and the overall experience—often leaving parents feeling nickel-and-dimed after already paying steep entry fees. They also discuss the broader ripple effects: increased family stress, kids quitting, and the difficult trade-offs multi-child households face when one expensive trip crowds out other opportunities.

Jeff, Brad, and Britt share practical perspectives on evaluating a child’s realistic ceiling, when high-level tournaments or showcases actually make sense versus local or college camp alternatives, and why multi-sport participation can sometimes be the more affordable (and healthier) path. Drawing from their own experiences, they emphasize wise counsel, honest conversations with kids about costs, and focusing spending on what truly moves the needle rather than chasing early rankings or unrealistic scholarship dreams.

Whether you’re a first-time parent navigating travel ball or someone who’s already felt the financial pinch, this episode offers grounded advice on protecting both your budget and your family’s long-term enjoyment of sports.

Also be sure to check out Part 1 of our conversation surrounding the costs of youth sports.

Youth sports have gotten dramatically more expensive—and not just in one area. In this episode, Britt, Jeff, and Brad dig into the real numbers and lived experiences behind the surge in costs for equipment, travel, tournaments, and more.

They discuss Aspen Institute data showing average family spending jumped roughly 70–105% across major sports between 2019 and 2024, share the “oh no” moments when parents first saw the bill for a travel team or a $500 bat, and talk candidly about the pressure to keep up with other families. The conversation covers practical realities like hand-me-downs, setting budgets, gauging a kid’s actual passion and work ethic before spending big, and the hard truth that most families won’t see a financial return on investment.

Highlights include Jeff’s story of hitting four home runs in a state championship with a borrowed bat after his dad refused to buy a new one, plus thoughtful debate on where money is worth spending versus where it’s often wasted. The hosts emphasize that time spent with your kid practicing usually matters far more than any piece of equipment.

This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Next week we tackle the rising costs of clubs, academies, tournaments and the pressure parents feel to do it all.

Scott Linebrink spent 12½ years as one of baseball’s best setup men — the guy opposing hitters sometimes dreaded more than Trevor Hoffman in the ninth. On this episode, Jeff Francoeur sits down with the second-round pick out of Texas State for a conversation about the underdog path that got him there, and the loss that ended it.

Linebrink was a late bloomer who walked on at a small D3 school throwing 83. A growth spurt, a move to Texas State, and a Giants draft call later, he was sharing a clubhouse with Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent, Jeff Bagwell, and Craig Biggio — and still not sure he belonged. In San Diego, Bruce Bochy and Hoffman turned him into the eighth-inning guy. Then came September 28, 2011, with the Braves: a 10½-game wild-card lead gone, extra innings, and a Hunter Pence flare that scored the run that ended the season — and, as it turned out, his career.

Fifteen years later, he finally tells that story. Not as a setup for a comeback, but as a loss that stayed a loss — and how bitterness gave way to gratitude. He also talks about the people who kept him going , life after the game with Water Mission and Pro Athletes Outreach, and his book Fields of Life.

For parents, players, and coaches who need to hear how the struggles shape you more than the wins.

In part two, Alan Jaeger, known for being a founding father of modern arm care and the founder of Jaeger Sports and Jaeger Bands, rejoins Jeff, Britt, and Brad to continue the conversation on how young players can develop stronger, healthier arms—and stay composed when the game doesn’t go their way.

Jaeger breaks down his approach to long toss, explaining why he sees it as a foundation for arm health, strength, endurance, and recovery. He discusses building distance gradually, listening to your arm, and adapting throwing routines to a player’s age and role. Jeff shares how he prepared alongside Andruw Jones and Alex Gordon, while Jaeger explains why younger players can begin with something as simple as getting outside and playing catch.

The conversation then shifts to recovering from a bad inning or disappointing game. Jaeger shares a simple pitching framework—breathe, focal point, attack—and explains why athletes need to practice their mental routines just as they practice their physical skills. His central message: confidence can rise and fall with results, but trust in your preparation and process gives you something dependable to return to. He also discusses how parents can help kids look beyond the box score and introduces a practical starting point: a few minutes of quiet breathing each day to practice slowing down and staying present—skills that carry well beyond baseball.

Be sure to check out part one of our conversation with Alan for more insights on arm care, injury prevention, and the mental side of the game.

In part one of this conversation, Alan Jaeger, known for being a founding father of modern arm care and the founder of Jaeger Sports and Jaeger Bands, joins Jeff, Britt, and Brad to explore why so many baseball players are dealing with arm injuries—and how parents and coaches can help young players build healthy throwing habits to avoid becoming part of that trend.

Jaeger calls it the “inverted pyramid”: players chase velocity, spin, and personal bests without first building the conditioning to handle that effort. Drawing on more than three decades of work in baseball, he explains why a gradual throwing buildup matters, how to plan for rest and a return to play, and why position players need to prepare their arms even if pitching isn’t their primary role. Jeff shares the offseason routine that worked for him, while Brad reflects on the arm injury his son experienced after being asked to pitch.

The conversation also turns to the mental side of the game. Jaeger describes the calm and presence he sees in elite players and talks about helping young athletes move past mistakes. In a sport where a hard-hit ball can still be an out, he argues that players build more lasting confidence by trusting their preparation and process than by judging themselves on each result.

Also, don’t miss part two of our conversation with Alan, coming this Thursday, for more of his insights and advice.

Welcome to The Pure Athlete Call-In Show, where we have REAL CONVERSATIONS with REAL PARENTS & COACHES about REAL SITUATIONS and CHALLENGES.

On this episode, Jeff Francoeur, Britt Lee, and Brad Williams take calls from parents and coaches navigating some of the hardest moments in youth sports:

• Chris in Atlanta — How do you grow into coaching a sport you barely know when your kid (or the program) needs you?
• Libby in Chicago — Her 7th grader made the tennis team. Her 6th grader, one year younger and at the same school, did not. How do you celebrate one daughter without constantly reminding the other that she got cut?
• Casey in Spokane — His 9-year-old is a “stud” in practice but freezes at the plate, overthinks every cue, and treats a strikeout like the end of the world.
• Chris in Newark — After years in the dugout, he’s now in the stands and can’t believe what some parents are saying. What’s his role now—and when should a former coach speak up?
• Mark in Denver — After a couple of errors, a travel-ball coach berated his 13-year-old in front of the team. His son wants to quit. How do you talk to your kid—and how do you approach the coach?

Jeff, Britt, and Brad share honest perspectives and advice from their own experiences as parents, coaches, and former athletes.

If you want to talk to the guys on a future call-in episode, go to pureathlete.com/call and submit your story, or send a DM on any of our social platforms. Sharing your situation can help other parents and coaches going through the same thing.

Britt, Brad, and former U.S. Soccer captain Carlos Bocanegra sit down with Dr. Ben Freakley for a practical conversation on the mental side of youth sports. Freakley, a military brat and former college soccer player and coach, traces his path from a painful VMI loss that pushed him into sports psychology, to work with Army Rangers, the Toronto Blue Jays’ mental performance department, and building Atlanta United’s high-performance staff alongside Bocanegra. He now leads Ready, Set, Resilient and consults with athletes, coaches, and high performers.

The discussion centers on cognitive load: how parents yelling from the stands, coaches barking from the sideline, and a kid’s own inner voice create “noise” that makes it harder to play. Freakley explains why coaches (and parents) should cut feedback to one or two clear points, triage what actually matters, and save the rest for later. He offers a simple post-game framework he uses with his own high-school football-playing sons—goals, honest reflection on what went well, what to improve, and a plan for next time—aimed at building self-awareness rather than delivering a play-by-play critique.

Freakley shares his expertise and a hot take on developing confidence, and he talks a length about stressing process over results.

Bocanegra and Freakley also share what they looked for in young academy players beyond speed and skill: kids who showed up every day, competed, and figured things out when they weren’t the most gifted.

Freakley's closing billboard for every youth field: Love your kid. Unconditional positive regard. No conditions of worth tied to points, minutes, or wins. “You’re enough.” A grounded, coach-and-parent-friendly episode on reducing noise, building process, and keeping the relationship first.

Welcome to The Pure Athlete Call-In Show, where we have REAL CONVERSATIONS with REAL PARENTS & COACHES, discussion REAL SITUATIONS and CHALLENGES. On the is episode we talk to three moms, one dad, and one middle school soccer coach about challenges each are facing along their youth sports journeys. Jeff, Britt, and Brad share their perspectives and advice, based on their own experiences and observations.

If you want to talk to the guys on a future call-in episode, go to pureathlete.com/call and submit your information or send us a dm at any of our social media platforms! We would love to hear from you, and sharing your story may help other parents or coaches going through similar situations!

Notah Begay III joins The Pure Athlete Podcast for a conversation about character, preparation, and what it actually takes to last.

Jeff, Britt, and Brad sit down with Begay during Tour Championship week to talk about the surprise of winning the Payne Stewart Award, the speech in a room full of peers (Scheffler, McIlroy, and the people who built the show), and the path that made the honor feel almost impossible: a public course on Albuquerque’s west side, unpaid work at nine, a hard home life, and the long odds facing Native kids on reservations.

Begay is blunt about early specialization, the mentors who opened doors (and helped him raise an SAT score in 90 days), surviving the Atlanta airport at 14 with no cell phone, and why Stanford felt like another planet. He explains how few jobs there really are on Tour, why one bad year can send you all the way back to “Go,” and what he learned standing next to Tiger Woods for 40 years—from the range the morning after a major to why confidence comes from preparation, not from having “done it before.”

A conversation about golf, grit, and raising kids who still love the game.

Brad and Britt sit down with Dr. Katie Friedman—pediatrician, pediatric ER physician, mom of young athletes, co-founder of Forever Freckled, and creator of Big Time youth athlete vitamins (livebigtime.com).

Katie makes the case that youth sports remain one of the most powerful environments for kids: they build grit, teach kids how to fail and keep going, get them off screens, support physical health, and instill habits that transfer to school and adulthood. She also talks honestly about the hard parts—injuries, pressure to return too soon, and the daily scramble of late practices and fast food.

Key topics include:

• What she actually sees in the ER: fractures, dislocations, lacerations—and a surprising spike in serious injuries from e-scooters and e-bikes
• Concussion red flags, when to go to the ER, and why kids should be symptom-free before returning to play
• Sleep as the most overlooked (and free) performance tool—aim for 9–10+ hours and get screens out of the bedroom
• Practical nutrition: breakfast as fuel, simple carbs before games, smaller meals/snacks kids will actually eat, and giving yourself grace on the 9:30 p.m. pizza nights
• Why she created Big Time after her son’s injury and her own questions about fueling growing athletes
• Advice to sports parents: the work is worth it even if they never play college ball—focus on the child and the lessons, not just the scoreboard

A grounded, practical conversation for parents who want their kids to thrive in sports without losing the point of it.

https://livebigtime.com