Last modified on: 09 Apr 2022
The Little League World Series is unique for a lot of reasons. For starters, it's about the only time you'll see pre-teens featured on ESPN.
It's also a way for both U.S. teams and international teams to come together and share the game they love. Where else will you find a game between Hawaii and South Korea?
In 2018, Hawaii claimed the crown. When the 2019 edition kicks off in August, there's no telling what will happen. Little League baseball is as unpredictable as any other sport.
The unpredictability can be instructive. Both children and adults can learn lessons from baseball during the games in Williamsport. Here are five of the best ones.
In real life, you might expect every day to be a smashing success. But baseball and life are a lot alike. There will be days or weeks when you strike out.
The highest Major League Baseball batting average of all time belongs to Ty Cobb. He had a batting average of below .400, and he's still considered one of the greatest ever.
A good swing isn't enough. Sometimes, you also have to wait for the perfect pitch.
12-year-olds don't play baseball the same way as adults. Obviously, they aren't as good as someone who plays for the Red Sox.
But they also aren't as aware of the cameras. There are memorable players, but the showmanship feels more wholesome at 12 than at 22.
They aren't just there to "have fun." Every player who makes it to Williamsport wants to win.
They train hard, but they're also still kids. They don't (or at least shouldn't) play with all the weight of an adult in the big leagues.
When you win, it feels great. Losing feels terrible, especially on a stage as big as the Little League World Series.
But you generally learn more from the missed opportunities. The grand slams are fun to watch on TV. But the muffed catches stick in your head more.
That can be good or bad. Failure can haunt you if you aren't careful.
The trick is to learn from that failure and become a stronger, more resilient player and person.
Sure, there are a lot of cliches about team sports. But when done right, the sense of unity can be inspiring.
If one player fails, then strong teams will treat it as a collective mistake.
If the mistakes are on the team, then so are the successes.
The score in the first inning might not be indicative of the score in the sixth inning. If you get behind early, you have to keep going.
Don't try to make up all your lost ground at once. Do the best you can to chip away slowly.
It sounds corny, but the only thing worse than losing is giving up. Play until the game gets called.
Everyone who plays the sport learns at least a couple of lessons from baseball. Baseball life lessons can even occur off the diamond.
Of course, the Little League World Series isn't only about life lessons. It's also highly entertaining for players and spectators alike.
You can enhance the entertainment value by bringing baseball pins to trade in Williamsport. Contact our team for a free trading pin quote.
