The Little League World Series (LLWS) is happening right now, and it’s one of the most fun sporting events you will ever watch. As youth sports continue to mirror professional sports, the LLWS allows for a brief respite from all the seriousness to once again enjoy the innocence of youth baseball. The kids competing are not thinking about future D1 baseball scholarships or making it to the “bigs,” but they are living their best lives right now playing alongside their teammates, cheering together, and experiencing wins and losses as a team. It’s the beauty of youth sports, playing out right in front of us, and at least for a little while suspends all the normal conversation these days around travel leagues, launch angles, promotion videos, and exit velocity. Sit back, learn about each kid’s favorite things in life during the player introductions, and then enjoy watching the kids give everything they can to bring their hometown a title. Does it get any better than that?
The joy of playing sports
Yes, the LLWS carries big stakes, and receives global attention. The games on the field are very serious, with kids routinely laying out for balls and getting big hits in the clutch. ESPN covers every game, and for a few weeks each August Little League players become recognized heroes in our country. While all of this lends a seriousness to the LLWS, if you spend just 5 minutes watching the games you will quickly notice that there is a lot of good, healthy FUN going on before your eyes. The stadium is full of cheering parents, young fans sliding down the outfield grass hill on cardboard, and kids on the field playing hard and with amazing sportsmanship for their opponent and the game of baseball. Isn’t that awesome???
These days we see a lot of sports parents always looking for the “next” something…..new bat, new glove, new league, etc. When our focus is always on the next new thing, we often lose sight of the amazing things that happen right in front of us. As we see the LLWS kids playing hard and cheering one another on, we can also stop to take note of the amazing things our kids do that sometimes go unnoticed. Keeping a great attitude. Hustling. Taking pride in a recent sport accomplishment. Helping pick up a teammate that is struggling. Often those things get missed, but they are some of the most important things kids can do while playing sports.
The LLWS is a great reset for all sport parents. For a few days, try and pause all the efforts to help your kid one day become a pro athlete, and instead sit with your kids and enjoy youth sport competition being played at the highest level. Appreciate the teamwork, the knowledge of the game, and the synchrony between teammates turning double plays or making key relay throws. Pay special attention to the joy they are experiencing, the spontaneous laughs, and enthusiasm displayed throughout each game. This is the joy of playing sports, the thrill of competition, and ultimately the big takeaway from the youth sport experience!
Final thoughts
The Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania comes around just once a year, so make sure to catch as much of it as you can. The play on the field will most certainly amaze you, but take special note of the fun and good times the kids are experiencing playing sports with their friends! Youth sports are a very special, and finite, period in your child’s life, so make sure to maximize the experience while your child is able. While very few kids will be good enough to make it to the major leagues, all kids can enjoy fun, friendships, and healthy human growth by participating in youth sports.
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