This debate drives me nuts every year. Each summer when we get to August and ESPN's coverage of the Little League Regionals and World Series, these high-horse writers and reporters come out of the wood work to tell us how much the kids are being exploited by broadcasting their emotions on television for the world to see just for television ratings.
The first people of the year to decide to hold this "debate" were from Connecticut on SportzEdge.com
Here's my first problem with that argument and it starts with the people doing the complaining. They've never ever seen it up close. They write or speak from afar without having a clue. They just make assumptions. None of them have every talked to a kid while its happening. They've never interviewed a kid 10 years later as an adult to ask how it affected them. They do zero legwork. That's my first issue.
My second issue is the fact that they're flat out wrong. The only people "exploited" are the adults. The managers, coaches, and parents are the ones sick to their stomach before the game. They're the ones who can't let a loss go for days afterwards. I've been around kids in the Little League World Series and the Eastern Regional Tournament for 12 years. Not once have I ever seen a kid dwell on an error, a strikeout, or a loss for longer than the time it takes for them to walk back to their dorms. Sure, they cry when they strikeout and its all over TV. They cry during the end of game handshake. They even cry when they hug their parents. It's over right after that for them. They're back in five minutes looking to swim, eat, or trade pins. They're just kids... and they act like it. The pressure and coverage means nothing to them. It's still baseball and still something they love.
They never mention who they are, so I don't know names, but the fellow on our left comes out of nowhere to mention recruiting, cheating, and Danny Almonte. That was in 2001, bud. That was a team made up of kids born in other countries where it was easier to fudge paperwork. Since then, there's nothing like that at all. It's nearly impossible now.
The guy in the middle keeps bringing up other youth baseball tournaments besides the 12-year olds that play for a shot at Williamsport. That's a completely different argument. Nobody except for the parents are asking for weird coverage of their 8-year old or 15-year old Babe Ruth team. Millions of people watch the Little League World Series on ESPN and ABC every single year because it's great baseball, it's fun, and you can see how much fun the kids are having. It's literally a dream come true. There is nobody that has bad experiences when it comes to the TV cameras and Williamsport as a whole.
If you want to have this debate, come have it with me in late August after you spend a week with the kids having the absolute time of their life in Williamsport, Bristol, Indianapolis, Warner Robins, Waco, and San Bernardino. My guess is all these self-righteous writers and reporters will change their tune.
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1 comment:
I agree 100% - these kids get emotional and bounce back in no time. They love being on ESPN and the fact that many people they know can watch them play.
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