Are You Watching the Little League World Series?
I think we’d all agree that the world today is very complicated and just plain confusing at times. It seems that the United States is more divided than I can ever remember. People who are supposed to be leaders are not civil towards one another. That cynical eye is everywhere, looking out toward an ulterior motive.
Harry Truman made the comment that when he opens the newspaper, he goes first to the Sports section. His motivation being that he wanted to hear about human achievement and not the depressing news of the day—at least not initially. Of course, this was over 75 years ago and the sports world is now also filled with greed, scandals, cover-ups and performance-enhancing drugs.
However, I’ve seen a positive light in the midst of all of this negativity. It’s the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The logistics of the Tournament are the following: In the United States bracket, there are teams from eight different regions throughout the country. These eight teams have earned their spot in Williamsport by winning their section, division, state and region.
There is also an international side of the tournament. The U.S. and the international teams remain separate and only the winners face off at the end. It’s a double-elimination format. The final four will face off this weekend, August 24 and 25.
Both the U.S. bracket and the international bracket championship games will be played on Saturday with the two winners playing each other in a true world competition on Sunday. All of the Little League World Series games are shown on ESPN. However the final weekend’s games are on ABC.
I haven’t mentioned one very important item. These players are 11 and 12 years old. Even though most of them are small, they are very talented and play this game really well. They are fundamentally sound defensively. Frequently they make amazing plays. Mostly because the players don’t want to let down their teammates nor their coaches. Refreshing, isn’t it?
They love being part of a team. Just to make it to Williamsport, all of these teams have “won” a lot. Coaching at this age makes all the difference. The common thread here is that every coach is very positive. They motivate their players by encouraging and focusing on the “positive.” Kids this age tend to get down on themselves quite a bit. The coaches are there to say, “You can do it!” And always praising with a “good job.”
Just as important, all of the coaches preach “sportsmanship” as a pillar of the game. This positive approach leads to bringing out the best in these young players. This coaching method also is very contagious even with the international teams.
They all live and sleep in the same dorm building. It’s certainly not a hotel. It’s more like a barracks. But they have a large recreation room with ping pong tables and video games. There’s also a large swimming pool. When they’re not playing baseball games, there’s always plenty to do.
Yes, these players are all competitive and want to win. However they will all tell you that perhaps the best experience is meeting and getting to know players from the other teams throughout the United States and the world.
I believe that you mix all of these ingredients and magic takes place. Do yourself a favor. Take a break from all the negativity out there and make an effort to tune in on Saturday and Sunday to experience some of this for yourself.
