Seton Hall
Little League World Series canceled for first time in history
Date: August 5, 2020By: Michael Daly
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The Little League World Series is a late summer mainstay that lasts 10 days every August. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the LLWS was canceled and fans from around the world will miss out on a chance to see this year’s best Little League team in the world win the title in South Williamsport, Pa.
The tournament has been around since 1947 and was never canceled prior to 2020 in the tournament’s 73-year existence. The Little League World Series brings millions of people together each summer to enjoy watching 11-13-year-olds play the sport they love.
When the term “America’s Pastime” is used in conversation, most people associate that phrase with Major League Baseball. Although the Little League World Series is much younger than the MLB and the length of the tournament is a fraction of an MLB season, the LLWS has just as much of an impact on the sport as Major League Baseball.
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Since the tournament’s inception in 1947, the LLWS has produced a total of 58 Major League Baseball players. Notable current major leaguers that played in the LLWS are Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger, Texas Rangers third baseman Todd Frazier, and New York Mets outfielder Michael Conforto. Frazier’s Toms River Little League team won the 1998 Little League World Series against a dominant Japanese team from the Kashima Little League in Japan. In 2018, Frazier met up with teammates from the championship team and reminisced about the experience.
“My favorite part after winning the Little League World Series was meeting Alec Baldwin, we went to the White House and met Al Gore, and we went to Yankee Stadium,” said Frazier in the ESPN feature. “I love this time of year because we did it. It’s 20 years now, so it’s going to be a good time.”
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For a week-and-a-half every summer, standout Little League baseball players get to play baseball on a global platform. The tournament is truly a once in a lifetime experience that most of these players will never get to experience again in their lifetimes.
The young Little League players become stars in their local communities because of their hard work that paid off in South Williamsport, Pa. Unfortunately, thousands of Little League baseball players will miss out on the opportunity to play in the most recognizable youth baseball tournament in the world this year.
For fans that never attended the Little League World Series, it is hard to grasp the special feeling of nostalgia that everyone in attendance feels. Between the smell of the freshly cut grass and the hot dogs, it makes everyone feel like a little kid again.
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It will be hard to imagine the large hill behind center field at Howard J. Lamade Stadium being completely empty for an entire summer. It is an annual tradition at the Little League World Series for fans to bring cardboard to the stadium and use it to slide down the large hill at Lamade Stadium.
ESPN and ABC will have to replace their usual summer programming of the LLWS with other sports like the NBA or the MLB. The absence of the Little League World Series has not only impacted broadcasting companies, but it is a major blow for the local businesses in Williamsport, Pa.
Local hotels and restaurants that depend on having thousands of customers every summer will suffer because of the lack of tourism in August. Businesses depend on having customers flowing in and out of their establishments for the two-week span of the Little League World Series each August. The loss of the Little League World Series will have a 35 million-40 million dollar impact on Lycoming County’s economy, according to Little League President Steven D. Keener.
Major League Baseball
“Due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Little League International has made the difficult and disappointing decision to cancel its World Series and Region Tournaments for the first time in organization history,” Little League said on their website in April. “The 2020 MLB Little League Classic Presented by Geico will also be canceled; The event will return in 2021.”
Major League Baseball and Little League partnered to have an annual MLB game played on Sunday night of the first weekend of the World Series in the South Williamsport area. In 2017, the MLB Little League Classic first took place at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, Pa., in a game that featured the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The classic has become a staple every year at the Little League World Series and it will continue when the Little League World Series happens again.
Little League
The hope is that the LLWS will return in 2021 and fans will get to enjoy the annual event that brings thousands of people together. Now that the MLB has a role in the Little League World Series, it shows how important the tournament is because it has the backing of baseball’s biggest professional league.
Not seeing the Little League World Series on ESPN and ABC will be an adjustment for many, but when the World Series returns it will make everyone appreciate it even more. The coronavirus pandemic made fans of the Little League World Series cherish South Williamsport, Pa., Lamade Stadium, and Volunteer Stadium.
Michael Daly is the Station Manager of 89.5 FM WSOU, and can be reached at wsoustationmanager@gmail.com
