Is Little League Championship mentality changing the way athletes enter the Major Leagues?

Yes

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by Cathy Marquez

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Little League Baseball has become a mom and dad sport that is played by their children. The boards consist of players parents who make concessions to incorporate their child into teams and all stars teams that will win at just about any cost. The coaches are parents who for the majority make sure their child and his friends, some times no matter the talent involved are on the best teams, all star teams and select teams. My son played for a League that won the Little League World Series and I witnessed throughout his 8 years of playing all of the above. I have seen what lengths the coaches will take to make sure that they win, as well as the parents. Extreme practices and manipulation of the rules to give more time and all of the while the older boys who know the rules and hear the manipulations are shown ways around the system. My son was fortunate to enter the Junior Olympics where I did not seem to see these manipulations and extremities. These boys playing on Little League teams are given hope of the Major Leagues when the realities and statistics are quite the opposite. The coaches and leagues have imprinted in the players minds that if they have the practices and win that they will increase their chances of playing in the Major Leagues. My personal witness is that this has led to boys that were extremely disappointed in their quest for the Major League and some that have the heart but not the talent are still chasing the dream at almost the age of 30. Parents are spending outrageous amounts of money on private lessons, team lessons, tournaments and equipment in order to win because they believe that it would increase their childs chances at entering college on baseball scholarships that would lead to entering the Major Leagues. I did all of the above, my son who possesses an arm throwing in the mid to upper 90's for pitching, and a cannon from right field never persued his dream. Drugs and his bad choices deterred his trek. I look back and know that we as parents can not choose our childs future and young Little League Parents should take note of this. If your son has the talent, desire, he will be noticed and playing year round, spending ungodly amounts of money and the stress will not further your childs future in baseball. It will only leave the wrong impression with them and false hopes. I believe if the Little League Organization would return to its original values and change the structure of the board appointing its members then the future of many of these players would not be so disappointing.

The Little League Organization needs to go back to its original beliefs and rethink how these individual leagues should be run. I agree that the Little League is a competitive organization but at what cost are we willing to win and at what level does the boys really win? Some would tell me to go to the YMCA and play there. However, I am willing to bet that there has been some extremely successful baseball players in the past that only played at the YMCA that have entered the Major Leagues.

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