I gotta confess that I don’t really follow any professional sport. I have figured out that there’s an impending major league baseball strike 'cause that little piece of data keeps thrusting itself into my view (when I look at thread titles, hear the ads for the news “more on the baseball strike”, listen to morning radio on the way to work etc.).
HOwever, it wasn’t until recently that I realized that there was ** yet again** more reason for me personally to care and be upset w/the major leaguers.
This year, the LIttle League World Series has gotten unprecedented attention. News geeks interview, report on games, the games themselves were televised (in years gone by only the final was), the winners were interviewed on the today show, with lead in by Matt Lauer
Now, why should I be concerned/notice same?
well, 'cause in 1973, my very own baby brother played in the Little League World Series (their team came in fourth), and the only press they got was from our local paper.
dan every newstory I’ve seen references the baseball strike “In these times when the major leaguers are doing blah blah blah, it’s refreshing to note blah blah blah”,
well, yes, except those kids were always doing that. always. Not just when the major leaguers were being jerks (including owners).
SO, it seems that the reason for the coverage isnt’ the young guys themselves doing something pretty damn fabulous, but that the older guys aren’t.
not jealousy for todays’ teams, just noting that all the teams deserved what’s going on this year. And heavy suspicion that next year all the news geeks won’t bother w/Williamsport except for the final. again. (or like last year when there was an illegal player)
The Little League World Series has been broadcast and covered for a long, long time, though; at least the finals have. I think the news coverage is actually very good, because it helps kids get more interested in playing the sport, which has fallen by the wayside for much of America’s youth, due in no small part to the idiots who run the professional leagues (as you’ve noted).
I’m not as cynical as you are in this regard. Any time an American team is involved in the Little League World Series, you hear about it; for many years, Taiwan owned the sport at its highest level.
Now, whereas it’s true the kids surely like to be on television and surely like the attention, I think one can safely say that this is not why they originally decided to play Little League, since thousands of LL teams don’t get into the World Series. These kids play it for the pure love of the game. Yeah, I know some don’t - some are showboating hogs - but overall, kids play Little League because it’s fun, and that’s the point of those “refreshing” comments.
dan - I know that the finals have been televised for years (certainly were the year my bro was there), but again, not all the other games.
Yes, I agree these kids deserve the attention. But so did the kids from the year 2001. 2000. and so will the kids for the year 2003. I know that the kids in years gone by didn’t get it. I do not share your optimism that they will in the future.
The ‘refreshing’ comments - do you not see that the kids attitudes are considered ‘refreshing’ when compared to the major leagues? Hence my complaint. That the only reason these kids are getting the attention that all of them have deserved over the years is ‘cause of the major leaguers’ not so ‘refreshing’ stances.
So you think they’re only refreshing compared with the major leaguers’ attitudes? That on their own - with no comparison with the majors - they’re not refreshing? Well, of course not - they have to be compared with something in order to be refreshing. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that the attitudes of the Little Leaguers is very positive.
Besides, they got the attention even when the major leaguers weren’t as bad as they are today - did they not deserve the attention then?
If I understand you correctly…you believe that the increased media coverage of the LLWS is a result the MLB crisis?
I respectfully disagree. ESPN has been televising additional LLWS games for at least the past 5 years if i’m not mistaken (during which there was no MLB crisis). Including even the regional championships, which are not even part of the LLWS tournament. I think the recent increased coverage is just due to the increased popularity of the sport overall. Kinda like NASCAR, 10 years ago, not EVERY race was televised (only the major ones), now they are. The “refreshing” slant that the media puts on the LLWS is I think more of a slam against MLB, to try to attract more viewers. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion.
About the past…did the kids deserve the coverage back then? Absolutely, but the world of TV and sports was different back then. Unfortunately, your brother played in a time before ESPN and cable TV. Hey, I used to watch PBA bowling EVERY Saturday at 3pm on ABC. Now it’s difficult to find ANY televised bowling event. Things change.
As far as the future. I don’t see TV coverage going away anytime soon. Little League has a lot going for it…for example…
Little League is growing. They recently doubled the amount of teams in the LLWS tournament.
It’s only a couple weeks each summer, so people look forward to it. The quality of the play is improving, (more close games) and better games make for better TV.
If MLB does strike, and alienates viewers, the TV coverage of the LLWS will be even MORE in demand next year. I think your concerns may be unfounded.
Since I live VERY close to S. Williamsport (less than 15 miles) the LLWS is a big deal around here.
Rest assured, that although it may SEEM as though the media attention is a direct result of the MLB crisis…it is NOT. It’s just a coincidence. The additional games would have been televised regardless. You mentioned “unprecedented” coverage, however, this year’s coverage was NOT unprecedented, it may just seem that way to you because perhaps you were not aware of it before, until the current MLB crisis brought your attention to it.
I’m a little confused by your following statement…
I’m not as cynical as you are in this regard. Any time an American team is involved in the Little League World Series, you hear about it; for many years, Taiwan owned the sport at its highest level.
To me, it would seem that you are implying that there was a “lull” in LLWS interest for many years, because there supposedly were no American teams involved in the LLWS, due to Taiwan owning the sport.
Is that what you were implying?
While it is true that Taiwan dominated for many years (largely due to admitted LL age and league boundary violations), just to clarify… there is no “any time” for an American team in the LLWS, because there is an American team in the championship game “every time.” That’s the way the tournament is set-up. Therefore, we should have “heard about it” every year, and did. Was the media coverage different this year, than from 30 years ago? Yes. Was it different than from 5 years ago? No.
dan I am not suggesting that the LL players do not deserve the attention now. Have a difficult time understanding how you got that from what I posted.
King - so ESPN has been televising all the games for a while? ok, yes, I wouldn’t have noticed that (since it seems to be on ESPN 2 here, and until recently we didn’t get that one). I’ll take your word for the attention from ESPN
Anyhow, I would still argue that the attention afforded by the major network newsoutlets is different this year, and they are (Matt Lauer just this am) saying ‘in contrast’ to the major leagues. Last year the only attention that LLWS got was in reference to the kid from the New York team who turned out to be 14 instead of 12.
So, next year, ESPN will carry it again. and no, no one from the big 3 am news shows will have it on at all.
(dan, King is absolutley correct re: american teams. For example, “the Far East” is one team, I believe that North America is segmented into at least 3 teams - baby bro played games against INdianna, Illinois, Ohio, MI etc to win his berth), so it’s actually skewed in favor of a US team if you look at where the actual teams come from. Yes, the Far East teams have often won (they did in 73, as I recall one inning they all got up and bunted and still scored 3 runs)
This will only put professional baseball further into the grave. You saw what it did the last time, now they can’t even fill a stadium halfway with spectators.
No, I know that there’s always a US team in the championship game every time, but I do think that when Taiwan was winning year after year, there was less interest in the sport in the US than in more recent years.
As King mentioned, ESPN’s been doing the coverage for at least the past 5 years or so, but there were many years in which only the championship game was covered. My thinking is that whereas there’s plenty of interest in LL itself in the US, if a team from a particular area wasn’t in the LLWS, there wasn’t a lot of interest in the LLWS - and, of course, there are zillions of places in the US where LLWS teams came from. But now they cover more than just the championship game, and so interest is sustained even for people who don’t have a rooting interest in the game (in fact, were the rules changed and no US team was in the championship game, I bet you’d still have plenty of interest in it because of the recent exposure).
Where you’re being cynical, wring is that the exposure will lessen next year. Now, I know I might be misunderstanding you, so please bear with me. It seems you believe that the main reason the LLWS has gotten exposure (e.g., Matt Lauer) is because people are contrasting it with MLB, and that because MLB (hopefully) won’t be in the same position next year as it is in now, interest in the LLWS will diminish. Have I got that right?
If so, I’m not sure I agree. As King says, if the MLB players do strike, it’ll only increase coverage of the LLWS in 2003. Even if they don’t, fan interest in MLB has fallen sharply over the past few years. I really don’t think LLWS interest will follow suit in the near future.
I don’t like baseball, I don’t like sports. I don’t care about greedy players and greedy owners and if they want to sit and bicker about who’s more greedy, more power to them.
What makes me mad about the baseball strike is all the hot dog vendors, janitors, service workers and other employees that aren’t the rich players, all put out of work when they strike. :mad:
If the kids get more attention, great. My brother played little league, those kids are better behaved and more fun to watch anyway.
Well, unless they’re like some of the recent LLers who pointed to themselves and basically tried to show up the other team - but that’s another thread (not to mention a relatively isolated event).
BTW, can you guys see why I don’t get into any of the GDs? Sorry if I misinterpreted.
wring,
I have to agree with dantheman here, the basic appeal of LL baseball has always been there, and has always been pointed out by the media (12 yr old kids, playing for the love of the game, and a dream of winning the LLWS). The only reason it’s being contrasted with MLB this year, is because MLB is providing the media with a reason to do so with their unpopular behavior. If MLB is back to “normal” next year, the LLWS will still get covered, and all of the positive aspects and appeal will still have attention brought to them by the media. (Watch a game sometime, and you’re certain to hear the ESPN or ABC announcers heap well deserved praise on the kids and coaches)
I’m sure that away from central PA, unless a “local” team makes it, the interest probably isn’t as strong. But, a 12 yr old’s world is pretty small, and those kids are gonna get the attention they deserve from the only 2 places that matter to them…their hometowns and in Williamsport.
As for the Kentucky kids being on the AM talk shows… I think it’s more due to the fact that they were the first American team to WIN the championship since 1998. Let’s face it, when dealing with kids, I’m sure it’s a little easier to conduct an interview when you get to ask them how it felt to win, rather than lose. So, naturally, it’s easier for the media to approach a winning team, and therefore a winning team will get slightly more exposure.
Sorry if I misinterpreted.