by Xavier Kirby
There is no more an American a tradition than Little League baseball. For generations upon generations, hopeful dads have sent their sons out onto the field to play that greatest of American games – baseball. Unfortunately, baseball Little League can be tough for some kids. You see, when they enter the baseball Little Leagues, kids are still not fully formed. Some of them are already active and outgoing, but other ones have a difficult time making it. For every kid whose life is enriched by a Little League baseball team, another one is completely traumatized by it. Some kids do not make the starting lineup, others get mocked by their teammates – the list goes on.
As a pastoral game, baseball attempts to close the gap between the players and the crowd. It creates the illusion, for instance, that with a lot a hard work, a little luck, and possibly some extra talent, the average spectator might well be playing; not watching. For most of us can do a few of the things that ball players can do: catch a pop-up, field a ground ball, and maybe get a hit once in a while.... As a heroic game, football is not concerned with a shared community of near-equals. It seeks almost the opposite relationship between its spectators and players, one which stresses the distance between them. We are not allowed to identify directly with Jim Brown any more than we are with Zeus, because to do so would undercut his stature as something more than human.
—Murray Ross. “Football Red and Baseball Green,” Chicago Review (1971)
Fortunately, as youth baseball league parents, there are things that you can do to help your child out. Little League baseball should be about teaching self-confidence and discipline, not about causing your kids to be miserable. If they are having trouble hitting the ball, pitching, or catching, you need to help them out. You need to get them the best Little League baseball equipment that you can get, first of all. This means a glove, bat, ball, and cleats.
Even more importantly, however, you need to practice with them. There are all kinds of resources available for Little League baseball tips. Even if you don't know how to play baseball yourself, it doesn't mean that you can't help your kid out. Just simply playing catch with him, encouraging him to develop his game, and being there with him when he has to go against the opposing team can really help.
There is a progression of understanding vis-à-vis pro football that varies drastically with the factor of distance—physical, emotional, intellectual and every other way ... Which is exactly the way it should be, in the eyes of the amazingly small number of people who own and control the game, because it is this finely managed distance factor that accounts for the high-profit mystique that blew the sacred institution of baseball off its “national pastime” pedestal in less than fifteen years.
—Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939)
Ultimately, the biggest mistake that you can make is to force your kid to play Little League baseball. Little League games are supposed to be fun, but for kids who don't want to play, they can be a humiliating experience. It is important for all kids to have physical activities, but you should make sure that your kids have some choice about what physical activities they participated in. If the kid doesn't want to play Little League baseball, don't make him. After all,there are plenty of good games and plenty of physical activities. Maybe instead of Little League baseball, he can join a junior soccer league.
Perhaps you can set him up for martial arts. It doesn't matter as long as he is active in a sport that he enjoys. That is the most important thing.