Sometimes it's just about fun
Posted: Saturday, August 22, 2009 by Travis Cody inI know that professional sports are about money and winning. I know that and I don't think it's wrong. I don't blame players for taking as much money out of the game as they can get. And I do think that the majority of players play their games hard and because they love the games. And I think that they play with sportsmanship, tempered by their great desire to win and make more money.
But I do love to see kids play hard and with sportsmanship that has nothing to do with money and winning.
Of course the kids want to win. They'll throw their gloves in the air when they win, and make the victory pile, and do a victory lap. And they'll shed tears when it doesn't happen.
But they'll also walk the sportsmanship line after a game and slap hands with the other team. And at Williampsport, during the Little League World Series, they'll share dorms and common game rooms and meals with kids from all over the world. They'll make new friends over this game of baseball.
And when a pitcher accidentally hits a batter, he'll walk over to the batter and shake his hand. And the batter will accept that gesture, because he knows the other kid didn't want to hit him.
The kids compete. They play hard. They want to win. And they do that because it's fun.
Fun.
There's plenty of time to think about sports as career. Most of these kids will never think of sports that way. They might continue to play, and some may use their talent to get to college. But pro sports isn't in the future for the majority of these kids.
Right now, for these 11-13 year olds, it's just baseball.
Fun.
Good thoughts. I love baseball. I live and die by baseball. Nothing upsets me more than when there is a fight. It makes me crazy. I know some people will argue that it shows the players' passions, but when we stop and think about kids and how they maintain passion without lapsing into barbarism, it should give us some sort of standard to uphold.