Success of Little League Programs Contributes to International Baseball Growth

Written by: Jerry Milani on 22nd March 2009

Photo: Margaret Mendel, Flickr | read this item

When Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx and other Major League stars traveled to Japan in the mid-1930′s, they found a nation whose love for baseball was still quite a bit beyond its playing ability, though the sport had been introduced there more than a half-century earlier. These barnstorming tours followed earlier attempts to spread the sport outside of the Americas, including trips to the Far East in 1908, 1913, 1920, 1922 and 1931, as well as exhibitions at the 1904 and 1912 Olympic Games. These formed the germ of what has grown into a truly international game, with 125 countries currently sponsoring national baseball federations.

Photo: Margaret Mendel, Flickr

Ruth’s connection was famously strongest with children, and the growth of the game would have been impossible had kids not become engaged. And for millions of youths over the past 70 years, Little League has been their introduction to baseball.

Just over a decade after Little League’s founding in 1939, the first international leagues formed, in Panama, followed soon thereafter by the establishment of leagues in Canada, Mexico and Europe. By 1960, the Little League World Series had expanded to include its first European team, a German squad. Youth baseball was off and running across the globe. Today kids in more than 70 countries on six continents participate.

“The growth of baseball on the international level, as we are seeing in the World Baseball Classic, is clearly reflective of the growth that Little League has seen internationally in recent years,” Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball, said. “We know that baseball is a game for all. The great lessons the game teaches start in Little League, and there is no doubt that those lessons are growing globally, and will continue into the future.”

littleleaguelogo In 1967, the days of teams led by The Babe and The Iron Horse rolling over amateur Japanese nines now long past, West Tokyo became the first squad from outside the U.S. to win the LLWS. International teams haven’t looked back since, winning the majority of Series in the format that pits the U.S. champion against its world counterpart in the final.

The kids who formed these dominant youth squads have grown up in the sport and have passed that love to later generations, and the results can be seen in international competitions. Japan won the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006, and South Korea claimed the Olympic Gold Medal last year, with the U.S. winning just one Olympic title of the five contested from 1992-2008.

While the growth of Little League programs abroad is a factor in the breadth of teams competing at the highest level of international competition, its effect is seen even more in the expansion of the sport on the amateur level in regions that many fans would find surprising. According to officials, Little League International’s efforts for more than a half-century to grow the game, particularly in areas in which baseball is far down the traditional list of sports that children play, is having a dramatic effect. In these areas – Africa, Australia, Europe, and parts of South America – Little League programs have flourished of late.

maltayouthbaseball In fact, Little League officials add, teams from Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Africa, and Ukraine have won their respective Regional Tournaments in recent years and have advanced to the pinnacle of all youth sports – one of the eight true World Series tournaments of Little League. These teams have been comprised of “native” players – not children of U.S. military or diplomatic personnel stationed overseas.

Staff members from Little League International headquarters, just in the last few months, have visited Australia, Italy, Colombia, Hong Kong, Malta, South Africa, and Ghana in continuing efforts to promote baseball internationally.

In traditionally strong Little League countries and back in the U.S., youth baseball is also thriving. In a recent story on Forbes.com, writer Tom Van Riper notes that many leagues have seen a measured increase in sign-ups because many families are choosing activities closer to home because of the current tough economy.

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Topics: International, Little League

Rick Scheid says:

October 4, 2009 at 11:49 am

How can I find Information on Who to Contact to find 12 year old Baseball Teams/Coaches, Baseball Fields/Facilities in Seoul South Korea?