Is there nothing more unbearable to watch than the Little League World Series? Don’t get me wrong, it must be an absolute thrill for the players, who never again will get this kind of an opportunity. But, truth be told, the biggest event in youth baseball is no longer about the players. It now centers on adults.
I was watching a game on Friday afternoon, the opening day of the tournament, when a kid hit a home run. No more than one minute later, a sideline reporter was interviewing the kid’s parents.
“What did you think of Little Johnny’s home run?” the reporter asked.
“It was great. He’s worked so hard all season, and we know he’d come through,” said Mommy, wearing an officially licensed Little League World Series Mid-Atlantic T-shirt.
Was that really necessary, I thought to myself? I understand these parents are likely living vicariously through their children, and they spend countless hours bussing their kids from game to game. But there's simply no need to interview them, or show them for that matter. It's not about them. And don't even get me started on the coaches who are miked up.
Part of the problem is ESPN — surprise, surprise — and its overwhelming coverage of the event. Back in my day (now that I’m 31, I feel as though I’m old enough to use that phrase), only the championship game of the LLWS was on television. That was until the late 1980s, when ABC and ESPN formed an alliance and the self-proclaimed World Wide Leader started to up its coverage. In 2006, 28 of the 36 games were televised on three networks, and nowadays — and through 2014, when ESPN’s contract with the LLWS ends — every game is televised.
All of this coverage and attention, albeit tons of fun for the players, can’t be good. They get this inflated feeling of self worth, so what happens next year, when they're playing Babe Ruth and get smacked around by players a bit older? Or how is Little Johnny going to feel the next time he hits a home run and no cameras are there to see it?
The Little League World Series used to be about kids from around the country and around the world coming together to celebrate the game of baseball. Now it’s about parents coming together to celebrate their children.
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4 comments:
This is going to sound weird, but I couldn't agree more. That doesn't happen too often with us, but you're absolutely right. It's absurd how much air time the LLWS gets, and that's just one of my beefs with the event and Little League as a whole.
Some of these kids are going to get such big heads from playing on national TV. They're going to go back to school thinking they're the big man on campus ... until baseball season, when a much bigger field will make them feel a lot smaller.
That's not to say this happens to all players. My guess is that most simply have fun and enjoy the ride while it lasts and then move on. But those on the other end of the spectrum are in for a rude awakening that might have been avoided if 12-year-old baseball got a little less attention.
Y'know, if you didn't sit glued to the tube (hey, there's and expression about to die off!) you wouldn't see such sad and pathetic sights as every game of the Little League World Series.
Thirty six games? Really?
Turn off your TV, cancel your cable subscription, and go out and play a game yourself.
This coming from the guy who has left the most comments in NDN history.
On a side note, though, the one thing I do like about the LLWS is the different cultures coming together. They all play such different brands of baseball. For instance, I jsut watched Venezuela take on Japan. The Venezuelan fielders were smooth, like their major league counterparts, while the Japanese kids were so methodical in their play. That part is pretty facinating.
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