Little League spokesman on youth activites and specialization

[JMHawkins]

In researching Little League participation numbers, I came across this quote:

 

Lance Van Auken, Little League's spokesman, said baseball seems to be morphing into a more-structured year-round activity that requires expensive lessons, equipment and travel. "Our position is that kids should play baseball, soccer, a musical instrument, do scouting, and specialize later on," Van Auken said. "It seems ridiculous that there are eight-year-old travel teams, but there are."

 

-WSJ March 31, 2011 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703712504576232753156582750.html

 

 

[Engineer61]

I *completely* agree!

 

For kids under high school age, I don't think there is *any* activity (especially athletics and including Scouting) that should be year round, or be so time demanding that the kid cannot engage in any other activity.

 

I am against all travel club sports teams entirely...most of the coaches have no concept what the capabilities of their players are, nor how to prevent injuries from overuse.

[DeanRx]

Yeah,

 

I was talking with a parent across the street about their summer plans (her son is HUGE baseball nut - nothing else, doesn't play with other kids b/c he is practicing, never seen him on a bike, etc...). THe kid LOVES baseball, some basketball, but baseball is it... wears nothing but jerseys to school, etc...

 

Anyways, they cancelled their vacation plans b/c they are taking him to a travel team tourney in South Carolina !! (we are in San Diego!)

 

This kid is 11 years old heading into 6th grade in the fall!! WTH?

 

I think the Little League spokesman might be giving lip service, but their organization sure likes the $$ those travel teams spread around the country.

 

Oh BTW... mom is going with the team... dad is staying home to WORK to PAY for the trip.... sound familiar?

[Engineer61]

LL does not attract many travel teams. There are too many rules and restrictions in the LL system. Even the normal baseball rules and distances are different.

 

Most of travel teams in my area prefer those leagues which cater to the tournament schedules and play rules.

[T2Eagle]

E61, or anyone else who could answer,

 

Are all those travel teams a part of LL? I'm not sure that around here even the non-travel rec. teams are officially LL.

 

When I was that age you played LL, and then after the regular season if you were an All-Star you became part of a team representing your town that, if you continued to win, could theoretically end up in the LL World Series in Mechanicsburg.

 

I don't think any team around here, travel or not, is part of that system.

[SSScout]

Ah, the memories....

Red wool "Harvard" ball cap (Harvard! even back then I recognized the name. My cap came from a famous college! so I thought. Just a company name..). Red tshirt.... leather ball glove.... dad throwing me pitches and lobs and trickles...

 

I was in a Cub Scout softball team. Played first base and left field. That's right, Cub Scout league. We had a game every friday evening, practice every wednesday evening. Played other Packs in the area. I guess there was a LL organization, but all I knew was that I could play ball, with my friends and dad and mom watching.

And everybody played. I even recognized that even if Ken couldn't run straight because of his knee, he still played. And if I missed the throw to first from center field, I was still going to play and get to throw it to first the next time. A four boy relay from center field to home. Learned a little about team work and fair play.

I would like to think now the teams were set up by our "District", but , hey, what did I know then? I just liked to throw and catch and hit. Still have a couple of wood Sball bats in my closet (ebay collectable?).

[Horizon]

Around me we have Little League, Pony League (they claim "real baseball"), and travel teams. Each has its own rules (typically around pitching, stealing and time in infield and outfield for players). Little League is where you play if you want you kid to play. Travel teams are when you think your kid wants to play in high school.

 

Our local high school coaches, during tryouts, will first ask each kid to tell them which travel team (for baseball) or club team (for soccer) the boy plays for. Those kids make the first cut. Other kids have to prove themselves if they are lucky. Then, in the off season from high school ball, a lot of high school coaches will have a club/travel team that every high school starter just "seems" to join.

 

 

[Twocubdad]

Too much money involved.

 

We're getting a new, for-profit baseball/softball tournament park opening here next year. They're touting the $millions it's supposed to bring in travel, tourism, hotel and restaurants. Near here the local parks & rec departments are building their own tournament parks to capture some of those same dollars. They're even using money from the tourism tax to pay for baseball fields.

 

Not to change the subject, but one of my pet peeves is the amount of tax dollars which subsidizes youth baseball. Of course the NAPWMMOP (National Association of People Who Make Money Off Parks) hauls out statistics which show towns "need" to have X baseball fields for Y population. And of course every town in the country has less than a third of what is needed. Almost ever city park here is covered in baseball diamonds (and a few soccer pitches). And there is a constant parade of coaches complaining they can never schedule games and practice times they need. When did it become a taxpayer mandate to provide space for baseball leagues? Why don't towns provide bowling alleys? Or Scout camps? (Yeah, I know why, it was a rhetorical question.)

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

The squeaky wheel apparently still gets greased.

 

 

Two or three years ago, the youth baseball interests proposed to cut a chunk off of a "wilderness" park that the green interests were building up.

 

Wow! There were LOTS of wheels squeaking over that one! I thought that was amusing, and I hope the green interests got gouged in the end on that one, although I don't know how it shook out in the end.

 

Apparently it's true --- if you build it they will come, and come and come!

 

(This message has been edited by seattlepioneer)

[DeanRx]

Yeah,

 

Most open space in all our city parks (with grass on it) is covered by either a baseball or soccer field. Once I was walking the dog mid-week in the day. Park dept. employee told me I couldn't be "on" the field without a use permit!!!

 

I told him I pay taxes in my town and the field was not in use at the time. I asked if the field was park of the city park? His answer was "yes". So, I called up my local city councilman and asked him to explain WHY a taxpayer was barred from using an area of a city park that was not under reserved use at the time I was on the field?

 

The answer was, "Well, we can't let just everybody out there, it would tear up the grass and the fields wouldn't be in shape for the youth leagues to use when they need them." Huh? Its grass, its in a city park and only certain individuals can WALK on it ?!?!?

 

Kids (in or not in a league) cannot even play a game of pick-up ball on the field during off time because of fear of lawsuit and the wear and tear on the grounds!!!

 

Makes me think kids are over-scheduled into organized sports b/c its the only time they are ALLOWED on the field!

[Brewmeister]

I wrote on this a while ago under the topic of "what ever happened to sandlot baseball?"

 

Back in the day, kids would play baseball because they liked it. Now, they play baseball because their parents put them in it and dad is reliving his childhood.

 

The tournaments are big money...they are not going away.

 

What I find funny (meaning "annoying") is that people will complain that 2 den meetings and a pack meeting per month is "too much," but they will have Junior in a league with 4 practices a week and touranments on weekends.

 

And of course, sports always seems to come first when scheduling conflicts arise.

 

I'm not sure how we ever headed down this path of child-professional sports teams.

[JMHawkins]

I see some parallel failing in the national organizations for LL and BSA. Both are too wrapped up in their money and not investing enough in championing the activities they are associated with.

 

I think BSA ought to be involved on a national level lobbying to incrase access to open space. Public lands are getting expensive to use, and there's a disreputable contingent in the green movement perfectly willing to use influence with the government to create their own private recreation area paid for with taxpayer dollars, and roudy yout's aren't terribly welcome. BSA ought to be a leader in opposing what one of our adults called "modern day enclosure."

 

Likewise, LL ought to be about getting kids playing baseball, fighting against "off-limit" fields and the decline in sandlot baseball. But they're hooked on money. When I was a kid, we played league baseball in the summer, but now it starts in winter and runs through spring. By the time summer (and decent weather) is here, the season is over. Why? Best explaination I've gotten is that all the normal leagues need to wrap up by early June so the all-stars and playoff and what not can be done in time for the Little League World Series.

 

Sad, that they're letting the money get in the way of the mission. The result is a gradual loss of interest in baseball, because fewer kids are playing it. I suspect my son, who was pretty good at it, would still be playing if the season was played when the weather was decent. You can play football and soccer in the rain, but baseball really doesn't work when its wet.