For a 12-year-old baseball player, this is supposed to be a magical time.
School has just gotten out, the weather is beautiful, and every day is lived on the diamond.
The district tournaments are only three weeks away, and thousands of kids across the country dream of going on an improbable run and storming into Williamsport, Pennsylvania, for the Little League World Series.
But not this year.
On April 30th, it was announced that the 2020 Little League World Series would be canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sports, especially at the youth level, are a fleeting pursuit.
Kids grow up quickly, and generally there aren’t a lot of do-overs. You’re only 12 once. These kids will miss the chance to live out the dreams of every Little Leaguer, and as someone with great memories of travel ball, I feel for every one of them.
But even to the general sports-watching public, this cancellation robs us of one of the most unique and entertaining events of the year.
The debate between professional and collegiate sports is a long-standing one, and supporters of the college game often argue there is greater passion from the players and the crowd.
But I would assert the passion in the LLWS trumps all of them. Once the competition reaches the Williamsport stage, the athletes are living out a one-in-a-million dream, and the stands are often full of relatives that have been there every step of the way.
The players aren't media-trained athletes or wealthy superstars, either. They're just kids, even if some of them look 25. This leads to iconic characters like Big Al, but it also emphasizes the human aspect of the game.
The spectacle also offers a level of relatability that doesn’t exist in a lot of the major sporting events. As much as I dream about being LeBron James, I was never going to be 6-foot-9. However, while the LLWS unquestionably has great athletes, there are also kids who look like 12-year-old me making great plays.
A spotlight is also placed on the coaches who led the kids to Williamsport. In contrast with the multimillionaire coaches who usually dot your TV screen, the managers at the Little League World Series are regular people. They have day jobs and generally pretty modest means, and their desire to coach stems from passion for the game and their community.
While the quality is much lower than ESPN’s regular programming, the Little League World Series is something I always look forward to. For a week, ordinary people are superstars, and the dreams of so many young people are reinvigorated. It’s the only event of its kind, and the LLWS will be missed this year.
Follow Declan on Twitter @dawalsh_UF and contact him at dwalsh@alligator.org.
