"Team Moms" takes over Scottsdale
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A glimpse from the show. Photo: Courtesy of Paramount+
A new reality show about the bonkers world of professionalized youth sports is premiering this week.
Why it matters: "Team Moms: Baseball," executive produced by Kim Kardashian, takes place in our backyard.
Driving the news: The eight-episode series follows seven families at Legendary Prep Academy, a baseball-focused private school that opened in Scottsdale in 2024.
- Filming ran March through May at the academy and Mesa ballfields.
- The series premieres Thursday on Paramount+.
Zoom in: Students at the school spend two hours a day in class and the remainder training.
- Rylee Baldri tells Axios that her son sometimes follows six hours of baseball training with soccer practice. "I get no days off," she says.
Reality check: Just shy of 9% of high school baseball players compete at an NCAA school.
- About 5% of draft-eligible NCAA players were selected in the 2025 MLB draft, and many draftees never reach the majors, per the NCAA.
The other side: The show has received some pushback on whether teenagers can understand the lasting consequences of national reality TV exposure.
- Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin wrote that he felt sorry for the children and said "shame on" Paramount and Kardashian.
What to expect: Right off the bat in the first episode, one of the moms — Nina Scoffone — meets with the coach and calls him a "punk" before the conversation shifts to her own conduct toward another student.
- Her vulgar name-calling becomes a major plot point of the season.
The big picture: Youth sports are becoming more expensive and all-consuming.
- About 5 million children play on travel teams, New York Magazine reported.
- Families spent 46% more on a child's primary sport in 2024 than five years earlier as private programs increasingly turn childhood athletics into a year-round pay-to-play pursuit, the report adds.
What they're saying: Axios spoke with all seven mothers during a press junket Friday.
⚾️ Is the baseball dream worth the long odds? Scoffone, who founded the Form pilates studio in Scottsdale, says it's her job as a parent to be supportive. But, she adds, "The statistics tell you everything you need to know. There's no sugarcoating it."
🎓 Heather Feldhacker says her son needs a backup plan: "You need to have some other degree in college to fall back on."
🏆 Wine entrepreneur Rylee Baldri asks: "Who am I to kill their dreams?" She also says some kids just can't handle training six hours a day.
📕 For Trina Taylor, a retiree, all criticism of the show is premature: "You can't judge a book by its cover."