I'm not naive and I realize the AAU circuit is pretty muddy. (7on7 is headed that way.) I know the shoe companies sponsor lots of these teams and build relationships with kids to the point where grown men on message boards actually ask "is he an Adidas or Nike guy?!?!" and I realize from the shoe/apparel company perspective it's an investment for future return.
My question is what do the kids get? Free shoes? Apparel? All expense paid trips to the tournaments on the "sponsor's" dime? Where's the line? If we're professing a world of amateurism, how does this fit in that paradigm?
My question is what do the kids get? Free shoes? Apparel? All expense paid trips to the tournaments on the "sponsor's" dime? Where's the line? If we're professing a world of amateurism, how does this fit in that paradigm?
