Little League baseball players are 12 years old and younger.

PRESSURE  ON  PREPUBESCENT  ATHLETES,
EXPLOITATION BY CORPORATIONS & TV
IS UNHEALTHY  AND  UNCALLED FOR

‘Winning is the only thing’
is  being  taught  to  kids
at way too young an age
 
By David Maril
 
Nothing epitomizes the dog days of August more than the arrival of the Little League Baseball World Series, one of the most unworthy national — make that International — sports events of the year.

And the funny thing is over the years famous big-time national sportscasters, such as Brent Musburger, known derisively by many fans as Gushburger, continually sing the praises of how wonderful and American it is having 12-year-old kids in clean, snappy baseball uniforms playing under pressure in a 40,000-seat stadium at South Williamsport, Pa.

ESPN and ABC have televised the Little League World Series games for years. And the list of baseball announcers who have broadcast these games is quite impressive. Baltimore Orioles’ voices Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer have done Little League duty over the years. Other well-known announcers include Al Michaels and the late Jim McKay and Curt Gowdy.

It’s amazing in these days of so much concern about participation, everyone playing and not putting too much pressure on young athletes, the Little League World Series seems above criticism.

Oh, occasionally there will be controversy or insinuations about a pitcher or key player being older than officially listed. Back in 2001, the series was  scandalized when it was discovered Bronx, N.Y. pitcher Danny Almonte was 14 instead of 12.  Almonte’s team was forced to forfeit its third-place finish.

In most years anytime there is a dominating pitcher who looks mature for his age, insinuations are made about inefficient registration procedures and teams getting away with using players who are too old and having an unfair advantage.

Little League players must be younger than 13 as of May 1 to be eligible to play in the Little League World Series, which takes place in August.

The age question gets to the heart of why the Little League World Series is one of the most ill-advised yearly sports events held in the world. Instead of questioning if the players are too old, shouldn’t the concern be over whether these players are too young to be playing in a national tournament?

Can there be anything worse than 12-year-olds being exploited for the commercial purposes of filling sports entertainment time on national television?

Little League baseball is fine when the focus is on learning the game, sportsmanship  and the importance of team play. However, competing in a world series is going too far.

Why should these youngsters have to face the pressure of TV cameras, instant replays and stadiums filled with fans from all over the country hoping for a championship?

Is there anything more ludicrous than seeing a kid, who is not even old enough to play in high school, being interviewed on television about making a big pitch or getting a crucial hit?

If you try to defend this by saying it’s just a nice example of amateur baseball getting a boost, why aren’t  the championships in American Legion Baseball, Senior Babe Ruth Baseball, and even the Cape Cod League given this type of coverage? The play is certainly of higher caliber and the players are older and better able to cope with all the pressures.

Why aren’t tournaments from other youth sports promoted and covered in this fashion?

What about girls’ softball?

The explanation comes down to the Little League organization’s having put together a well-packaged tournament, and television corporate executives determining it’s a winner financially.

What could be viewed as more American than youngsters playing baseball?

Isn’t it “cute” seeing little kids in baseball uniforms trying to emulate  Adam Jones, Chris Davis and Chris Tillman?

At the Little League World Series, for 12-year-olds and under, winning — not sportsmanship — is “the only thing.”

The issue swept under the rug is that sports for youngsters in this age group are supposed to be about learning the game and having fun, not winning a national championship. However the Little League World Series tournament emphasizes winning even more than high school freshman, junior varsity and varsity programs.

Kids at the Little League level are in the very early stages of developing their skills. It’s a mistake to  categorize players this young by their talents. Certain players who are slower developers and are labeled as non-athletes in youth leagues often end up being the better-skilled players in high school and college.

An interesting question is how many of these young players on Little League World Series teams even stay in baseball long enough to play at the high school level. Some, by the time they get into high school, are already sick and tired of baseball because of all the pressure and time they had to put into the game at an early age.

Others, who had peaked early as players, don’t want to deal with the expectations of “greatness” their parents and fans have placed on them. And many drop out because other players who developed later as athletes pass them by on the skill level.

Though few high school coaches and athletic directors will publicly admit it, they cringe anytime so much hype and adulation is placed on youngsters of this age.  They know these kids are not old enough to handle such an inappropriate mixture of hero worship and pressure.

They are well aware this often translates into a much more difficult job for them in high school to achieve healthy and realistic team perspectives.
 
davidmaril@hermanmaril.com
 
“Inside Pitch” is a weekly opinion column written for Voice of Baltimore by David Maril.
 
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