Did you know that if a student doesn’t make the high school baseball team, he’s no longer interested in playing baseball? That’s why our Little League’s Senior division season doesn’t start until after the end of the high school season to ensure the high school players can participate.
And there’s no point in having a regular season for those who don’t make the high school baseball team because they won’t want to play baseball anymore because they didn’t make the high school team. (I swear a local Little League board member said that.) After all, they don’t show up to play on the existing Little League seniors team. Never mind the fact that they probably wouldn’t “play” on those teams but sit the bench because the high school players on the team are “so much better” and need the experience so they get the playing time.
Apparently high school-aged kids don’t play in sports for fun which is why non-high school coaches feel justified in benching players because of talent level and their potential to make the high school team. Around here, Little League is just the feeder league for the high schools. After age eleven or twelve, they start driving off the more mediocre players by denying them playing time. Therefore, by the time they do get to high school, only players who make the high school team are interested in playing baseball.
Now once they get into college, they are allowed to play sports for fun, just look at any college intramural program. But we wouldn’t want to confuse the situation with any such facts.
Why do I care? Because my son who is 14 plays baseball and most certainly will not make the high school team because he doesn’t go to high school. I’m not asking the high school to let him play. I do want to know how is it that the high school baseball program and its perceived importance to the community has eliminated my son’s opportunity to play a meaningful season in Little League? Oh right, we live in Texas. Maybe he can start college early and get on an intramural team.
