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524
August, 1931
About the only requirements for franchising a new league are a ten' dollar deposit, and observance of League rules.
Each team is sponsored by a busi' ness firm, fraternal organization, service club or individual. Emphasis is placed on teaching the ideals of good sportsmanship rather than the mere act of winning. Each sponsor puts up $200 to finance its team. This makes $800 with which the league buys uniforms, balls, base sacks, bats, and the like. The sponsors expect to get nothing in return, except that they may, if they wish, have their names lettered across the shirts of the players.
Democracy and building of character are stressed in the little leagues. Candidates for positions on the various teams are pooled during spring training and later distributed accord' ing to a regular selection system. Managers and coaches are chosen with an eye to character and correct liv' ing as well as to baseball wisdom. The players are chosen without regard to race, creed or economic standing in the community.
As is the case with all other competitive sports, there must be a selection of a champion. Thus there are district, state, regional and national championship playoffs in boys' baseball.
THE first national tournament was held at Williamsport in 1948. At that time, Carl Stotz, who had been appointed national commissioner of boys' baseball, decided that the movement was growing so large that the resources of some big organization were needed. He secured the backing of the United States Rubber Com
pany, which financed the Little I League Tournament. It contained all '*
the glamour, excitement and fanfare |
of a World's Series. i
The company paid all traveling |
expenses of the competing teams, put i
ting them up at WilHamsport's most i expensive hotel. It also awarded
prizes, gold medals and statuettes to ,
each member of the winning team; i
silver medals to the runnersup; and |
bronze medals to the also-rans. , Over 10,000 fans cheered at the,|,1
1949 final game in which the all-star i team from Hammonton, New Jersey, ! :
defeated the team from Pensacola, : Florida, to win the title of boys' baseball champions of America. Ted i n Husing broadcast the event over a nation-wide hook-up. Governor James H. Duff of Pennsylvania tossed out
the first ball. i
In the 1950 championship series, the J
Southwest swatted and fast-balled its c
way into the picture for the first time. \
The team from Houston, Texas, cap ; tured the gold trophy. Bridgeport,
Connecticut, was second; Kankakee, i Illinois, took third; Pensacola, fourth.
As more and more little leagues are i ' mushrooming into existence, responsible citizens are coming to realize that
this movement is one of the finest ; things that could happen to American
youth. Not only is it the perfect i
training field for the baseball stars of \
tomorrow, but, more important, it is ►
the crucible for tomorrow's citizens. ^
The United States will derive im i
mense benefit from Little League I
Baseball, which teaches thousands of i young citizens the principles of poise, * }
tolerance, leadership, fair play and applied democracy.