Little League Softball World Series

I am not a huge fan of Little League Softball, and after recent news about a team from Oregon in the Little League Softball World Series, I am even less impressed. My main issue with Little League Softball is they use different rules than regulation softball. They don't allow runners to lead off the base and I believe some of the pitching rules are different too. This leads to Little League players having a tough transition to the next level of play (high school, ASA, college) and makes the game more like baseball.

This week, a Little League Softball team who was playing in the World Series had a coach make an embarrassing decision. The dad-coach decided that instead of playing the game fairly he sat his star players and instructed his team to throw the game so the other team would not be able to advance. Players were told to swing at bad pitches on purpose and also bunt with two strikes, to send a message to Little League.

I have two issues with this.
1. The coach is supposed to set an example for their players and instead of teaching his team to control their own destiny and play their best, he had them lose out of spite for the other team. This is a horrible display of sportsmanship. How are his players supposed to learn to respect authority and rules of the game if their adult role models can't be mature enough to?

2. By asking his players to throw the game on purpose, the coach made the game about HIM. These girls worked hard all year to qualify for the World Series and then the person who was supposed to be their supportive leader took that away from them. They were denied their earned experience of a lifetime because of an idiot's ego.

Holly Rowe, an ESPN reporter who covers all the major softball games on TV, said that it was the most emotional game she has ever watched and I can only imagine the scene. This coach ruined the World Series for two teams. They are 12 year old girls, let them play!

Over the summer I have ready a couple of books about coaching and also gone to a few coaching conferences. From these experiences I have really learned to believe that good coaches are servant leaders. We strive to make our players better first and think about ourselves second. It is a hard lesson, but I feel a moral obligation to do my best for my players. I am not convinced that coaches at lower levels of play are doing this.

For more info, here is the story.