Field of dreams: They just want to play

While filming footage recently at a local baseball field, I realized we are making a big mistake regarding some children in our communities. As I walked around the ball park, I couldn’t help but see grandpas cheering on their grandchildren and excited parents giving last-minute batting instructions as their children stepped up to the plate. I saw groups of children anticipating the next foul ball to turn in so they could receive a free Coke, while the smell of freshly grilled hamburgers filled the air. It was all mixed with an occasional burst of excitement as a child makes a good play.

It was a great day for families to get together and have some fun and spend some quality time together. However, there’s a problem that has a major impact on some of these young players. It’s a problem that’s been around a long time. Parents complain but nothing changes. It’s a problem I’ve seen a lot watching my four boys play sports.

I walked into a dugout and saw one player in the dugout with a coach. The child was crying and the coach was telling him he was proud of him for taking it for the team. The problem was, this child was the one who always had to sit on the bench, game after game. All he wanted to do was play baseball.

I talked to his mother and she said, “He plays two innings every game and that’s it. He loves baseball. It’s all he talks about. He says he’s going to play in the major leagues.” It’s a dream a lot of the players share. I asked her what she thought about all the children having a equal opportunity to play. She smiled and said, “Good luck. It’s all about the win.”

Where is a coach’s head when he tells a child to take it for the team? That child is part of the team and deserves to have his or her turn at making a good play, or being on the field as the last pitch of the last inning goes across the plate with a one-run lead with runners on base.

Imagine two outs, your team leading by a run, with runners on base and the batter hits a pop fly to the outfielder who doesn’t get to play much. The crowd holds its breath, the coach is praying for a catch and then it happens. The player catches the ball and the place goes crazy. The good players congratulate the child for the catch, parents are proud and that child now knows he can do it and his confidence goes sky-high. That’s baseball. For those who ask what if he missed — well, at least he had the chance to give it a try. Next time he might make a diving catch or catch one off the fence. At least he gets the chance to do it.

Do coaches realize they have a group full of children who look up to them? They influence a group of youths, build their confidence to go out and conquer the world, encouraging them to give it their best shot no matter what happens. However, some coaches choose a $10 piece of plastic and bragging rights for having a winning season at the expense of a few children who just want to play baseball.

Are little league sports for the children to learn how to play the sport and to learn about being a good winner as well as a good loser? Let the children be children; let them all have fun. That’s what it is supposed to be about, anyway — fun.

For some coaches, it’s the win they want and they’ll tell the child who subs to “take it for the team.” Why doesn’t the team act like a team and allow all the players to have an equal share of the fun so they can feel like a part of the team?

It’s not about the $10 plastic trophy or the coaches’ boasting rights at work. It’s all about families having a good time together and the children learning the game of baseball. The key word here is “learning.” Up until the time a child doesn’t pay to play, as in high school baseball, everyone should have an equal opportunity at having a good time and making memories about the days when they played ball.

All we have to do is change the rule, be fair and do the right thing. Remember: The rules are for everyone so the competition remains fair and more people can enjoy a day at the ball field with their friends and family.

It’s time for adults to step up to the plate and do the right thing. Let the children be children and have a good time, no matter what their skill levels are. It’s not about the win. What good is that win after the season? Building a child’s confidence takes him through a lifetime.

Scott Stewart is CEO of Studio 125 in Hartselle.