Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

COLUMN: Little League World Series shows what sports are about
By George Kioussis
The Lantern (Ohio State U.)
08/14/2007

(U-WIRE) COLUMBUS, Ohio — August marks the beginning of several annual sporting events.

There is the start of major European soccer. There is, also, the start of the National Football League preseason, and there is, of course, the start of the Little League World Series.

To some people, that might not come as good news because ABC and ESPN tend to over-cover the event, beating it into the ground in the process. How many times can one analyze the grip on a 12-year-old's change-up?

And yes, it might mean more intriguing sporting events will be pushed out of the limelight. I can't say I don't shudder at the notion of a kids' baseball game being given priority while my beloved Indians take a back seat.

Admittedly, I won't sit in front of my television each day and watch every game of the Little League World Series religiously. If I wanted to see amateur baseball, I'd watch the Cincinnati Reds.

The tournament is important, nevertheless, because it provides the antithesis to everything that is wrong with Major League Baseball.

With the Little League World Series we have ballplayers who play the game for the right reason. Not for the money, fame or the similar perks that their MLB counterparts enjoy.

Of course, there are always kids who are pushed into baseball by overzealous parents trying to live vicariously through them. But generally speaking, the kids are there for one reason — because they love the game of baseball. It is evident on their faces — in their smiles as they hit home runs, in their tears as they strike out.

At the Little League World Series, one won't see players juicing up on steroids, pitchers intentionally throwing at batters' heads or base runners yelling "I got it" at infielders trying to catch pop flies.

You will see sportsmanship though — players shaking hands after, or even during, games. In the final game of the 1948 Little League World Series, Lock Haven, Pa., catcher Joey Cardamone shook the hands of two opponents as they crossed home plate after hitting home runs. The act was later dubbed "The Handshake of Sportsmanship."

You will also see the exchange of cultures as teams from all across the world descend on South Williamsport, Pa., and you will see plenty of sunflower seeds, Big League Chew and an insatiable spirit for baseball.

And even though the bats used are metal and the field dimensions mirror those of a softball ground more than a baseball diamond, it's still a refreshing look at a sport with a history that has all too often been tainted. Baseball is often referred to as America's pastime, and these kids do a fine job of keeping it alive.

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