Last week Little
League Baseball stripped the U.S. championship from Chicago-based Jackie
Robinson West and suspended the team’s coach for violating a rule prohibiting
the recruitment and use of players who live outside the geographic area it
represents (Manchir, Bowean, Gross, 2015).
More
specifically, Little League Baseball found that Jackie Robinson West used a
falsified boundary map and that team officials met with neighboring Little
League districts to claim players and build what essentially amounts to a
superteam (Manchir, et al., 2015).
Subsequently, the
United States championship has been awarded to Mountain Ridge Little League
from Las Vegas, Jackie Robinson West’s manager has been suspended from Little League
activity, and the Illinois District 4 LLWS administrator has been removed from
his post (Manchir, et al 2015).
As a kid I loved
watching the Little League World Series broadcast. I was spellbound by the
notion of boys and girls near my age receiving national media coverage for
playing my favorite sport. As I grew older I began to question the motives
behind the broadcast and today I feel confident in asserting that often these
kids are exploited for the gains of parents, coaches, and networks.
According to Forbes, "Little League makes about one-quarter of its annual $20 million budget from ESPN's coverage of the World Series, and regional tournaments" (Cook, 2011, para 2) and everyone involved seems to be looking for their cut
and spot in the limelight. In the process, in my opinion, the participating kids
are often unwillingly and/or unwittingly made to sacrifice the joy of the game
and the spirit of fair competition. The Jackie Robinson West scandal is a prime
example of this.
Should sporting events involving preteens be receiving
such extensive national media coverage? Who do you believe is to blame for the
Jackie Robinson West scandal and similar incidents? What resolution would you
have chosen for the Jackie Robinson West scandal?
REFERENCES:
Cook,
B. (2011, August 17). Why I Hate the Little League World Series. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/bobcook/2011/08/17/why-i-hate-the-little-league-world-series/
Manchir, M., Bowean,
L., & Gross, L. (2015, February 11). Jackie Robinson West, city reel at
loss of team's title. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved
from http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-jackie- robinson-west-little-league-20150211-story.html#page=1
I saw this on ESPN and all I could think about was the children who worked hard for this opportunity. The adults knew what was going on and for the kids to suffer was not right. I can’t say that the mothers and fathers were aware of these rules even if they should be aware but, these kids helped a city who has struggled with all the violence there plus these kids were a breath of fresh air and they shed a positive light on Chicago. I can only hope that the kids were not hit hard emotionally because they won the Little League World Series as a team and I watched the game. Looking at how happy they were after winning was almost fairy tale like. We don’t know the backgrounds and where they come from but I love what they did for Chicago. I wouldn’t punish them for what happened but rules are rules I just wish there was something else that could have been done.
ReplyDeleteVincent Marshall
Growing up on the south-side of Chicago I had no choice but to follow the success story of this little league baseball team. It was very exciting for the city of Chicago to hear about these little boys who didn’t have very much all of a sudden do an excellent job and win the World Series! Unfortunately all of their hard work is being questioned because of the parents. The parents/coaches just had to ruin it for them. This scandal is a complicated one to swallow because this could have been stopped before they got so far in competition. But for me I think it’s hard to exactly determine how wrong they really were. Maybe some of the boys were struggling at home and with living situations and the coach put them on the team because baseball could take their minds off the struggles at home. I’m not trying to say what the parents did was wrong but it’s Chicago, one of the toughest places to live in the United States. I just hope this doesn’t hurt the boys too much because together they were awesome and made history. They do need to understand that breaking rules are unacceptable and realize what their parents did was wrong.
ReplyDeleteJasmine Matthews
I was born on the South Side of Chicago, and my mom and I moved to the west suburbs when I was 5. Growing up, baseball was my life. I dreamed of making it to the little league world series. Actually when I was 12, my team was 5 games away from making it to the LLWS.
ReplyDeleteYou stated "the participating kids are often unwillingly and/or unwittingly made to sacrifice the joy of the game and the spirit of fair competition." I do not agree with that. The participating kids are solely playing for the joy of the game. Every kid on these LLWS teams loves the game of baseball. I think back to when I played little league. Many of the more invested LL teams play/practice year round, and it's all because they love the game of baseball. You can see it every year during the LLWS. Those kids would choose to be at the LLWS over Disney World. They get to make friends with different people from around the world, they are mini celebrities, and they get to play the game that they love. The issue of fair competition is out of the kids’ control. They just want to play the game.
I don't see any issue with the LLWS. I really enjoy the broadcast, and I think the LLWS experience is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Who's to blame for this scandal? The people who are in control are. The coaches. It's your team, and it's your responsibility to lead your team. The kids aren't to blame and I don't think you can blame the parents either. The coach has been taking full responsibility for his actions, and he is even receiving death threats. I hate to say it, but if I were head of the LLWS, I would have probably had to hand down the same sanctions. Rules are rules, and if you violated a rule, you must suffer the consequences. It's very sad to see the kids being punished, when all they wanted to do is play the game they love with their friends.
-David Sims