Ally Crawford has a great read on Little League Ball!
By Allison Crawford
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Growing up in a small town, there are not many opportunities that are available to you. I was a little girl who had three older sisters who all played softball. Well, I wanted to play softball too but there were no softball programs available to me until I reached fifth grade. That wasn’t soon enough. I wanted to start playing ball when all my friends did, in kindergarten. Well, the only ball I would be playing was baseball. But not just any baseball, I would join the millions and millions of other people who had played Little League baseball during their youth.
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Even though the first Little League organization was created until 1939, children have been playing baseball since the 19th century. The Little League International Organization was created by Carl Stotz in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Since then, Little League baseball is played in over 100 countries on six different continents. This includes over 200,000 teams that currently exist all over the world. Every year, there are eight different World Series Tournaments that are played in the various divisions of Little League. In 2006 alone, there will be 40 games televised on ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC.Â
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Playing Little League baseball helps you develop different principles that will help you in other sports too, not just baseball. The three main principles that the Little League organizations strive to achieve are sportsmanship, fair play, and teamwork. Without at least one of these three things, no team will achieve success. All three principles are important whether you’re playing baseball, football, or even basketball.
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Many of the current and past Major League Baseball players played Little League baseball. That’s where their love of the game began. One thing that I wonder about is would Major League Baseball be what it is today if there was no Little League baseball organization. Would the players have the same instincts that they have now? Thinking about things like this make you realize how much of an impact Little League baseball has on a child.
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Yes, Little League baseball helps you develop and learn, but remember to have fun. Parents, don’t push your kids to play a sport they don’t want to. It’s hard to like a sport that you’re being forced to play and you don’t necessarily like. Little League may not be for everyone. But for those you want to play it, let them. It's a great experience that they will never forget. Not only will they take away many memories, but they will take away many friendships.
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For more information on the Little League International Organization or for information on how to start a Little League program in your city, visit www.littleleague.org.
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