The Little League World Series: A grown up baseball tournament for children
Baseball is a very popular sport in America; it is one of the three big sports in the country along with Basketball and American football. Every year the World Series, which is the biggest baseball tournament in the country, takes
place. The popular sport has always been very popular among children and the children’s version of the game culminates in the Little League World Series. This is an annual event that brings together the best children’s baseball teams and showcases the best
little league talent. Some have questioned whether it is good to have such a high level of competition among children, while others have said that it is a great vehicle for a future in sports.
This interesting event is a baseball tournament for children aged 11 and 12. The Little League World Series was first held in 1947 and at that time it was called the National Little League Tournament. It later changed its name
to add the World Series moniker to the title to reflect the changes in Major League Baseball. The children’s tournament is held every year and at first it was only contested by American teams, but later it was opened up to international teams as well.
16 teams of players take part in the tournament and it is the biggest tournament that the Little League organizes, although they organise 8 tournaments in total. Over time this event has gained international popularity and is broadcast
all over the world by ESPN. The Series is so well received among fans that even regional games along with the national finals are broadcast on television.
Throughout the summer, before the start of the World Series, qualifying tournaments take place in which every country that will be sending teams to the World Series creates an All-Star team. This All-Star team then plays in regional
games and tournaments in order to make it to the finals held every year in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
With the tournament opening up to international teams, the Little League World Series is exactly that; a world series that allows teams from different countries to compete. The current champions of the series are Japan. This is
in stark contrast to the professional MLB baseball tournament also called the World Series, but only contested by American teams.
The current format of the tournament makes for a very exciting and enthralling viewing experience for fans of the sport. Some people though, have been critical of this version of the sport saying that such a high profile tournament
was too much pressure to put on children aged 11 and 12. Even though concepts such as healthy competition are good, children that young can become victims of extreme competition and the pressure to perform can take its toll. It is feared that playing Baseball
for these young people might turn into a chore instead of a fun activity. The desire to win by coaches and parents can force kids to try and attain unrealistic goals.
On the other hand, supporters of the children’s tournament have said that it helps to build character in the young along with helping them to reach their true potential in sports. The World Series can also be used to help launch
a young talented player’s professional career in the adult version of baseball. It is also a healthy activity that kids take part in, and get a sense of belonging to a team along with discipline and teamwork.
There have been examples of both; positive aspects of the game as well as some deplorable things that have taken place. One of these was when during a game at the tournament this year, a young player was heard using abusive language
and his coach slapped him. The incident led to reprimands for the manager and a strong warning that if an incident like that ever took place again it would lead to fines and suspensions. This was interesting because when did it become alright to smack a child
in America. Why did the coach only get a telling off when he should have gotten a harsher punishment? This incident led to ESPN running the entire tournament on a 5 second delay so as to edit out anything like that in the future. It boggles the mind how something
like that was accepted and not punished.
The Little League World Series looks all set to become even more popular as time goes by. With the huge fan base that baseball has in the country and all around the world, this children’s sporting tournament will continue to grow
and show more people the talent and skills that young athletes possess nowadays.
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