How Baseball Has Changed

A few weeks ago I went to a high school baseball game in Los Angeles. My son David, among other things, is a baseball umpire. And he's good, so even though he's only been doing it a few years, he is already doing high school varsity and some college games. Anyway, I stopped by to watch him umpire one day, and to observe the parents in the stand. My, have things changed.

From 1977 until 1990 I watched my three boys play Little League and high school baseball. I figured out that I spent a minimum of 1,250 hours on the bleachers during this time. No wonder my shoulders are stooped. We had a wonderful time watching the kids. Ron was the head coach, and an excellent one at that. One season he had a team that went 20-0, only to lose in the city championship. The parents were for the most part, one big family. The kids played together outside of Little League, we had swim parties, pizza parties, and in general a really good time. Of course every parent was rooting for their own child, but there was no competitiveness leading to hard feelings. We were always a team. There were a few parents, usually fathers, who thought their child was the next Sandy Koufax and wanted to know why they weren't starting, but for the most part parents looked at Little League as an experience that would develop character and nuture friendships.

Fast forward to 2010. At the high school level which I recently observed, things have changed dramatically. Fathers are busy video taping their kids or clocking their pitching speed with a Juggs gun. The goal? A college scholarship, or if they are very talented, a major league contract. Parents are preparing their kids for the day when a college scout or major league scout will offer them a contract. With the cost of education, everyone is looking for a scholarship if they have any talent.

The fun of the game is gone. The young boys playing sports are so focused on perfomance and their future in the game, that many of them fail to have fun. It's no longer just a bunch of boys playing baseball. It's business. I for one am saddened by the change, but with so much money at stake parents are pushing their kids to get a piece of the pie. I just loved the old days when we'd sit and cheer for the team, drink our sodas, and go out and celebrate at the local pizza parlor after the game, win or lose. Those days are gone. It's all about each child's individual stats and whether he's got the goods to make a college team. Too bad.