Little League
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Little League is the name of a non-profit organization in the United States which organizes local children's leagues of baseball and softball throughout the USA and the rest of the world.
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These "little leagues" are divided into four groups each for baseball and softball, based on the ages of the children playing: Little, Junior, Senior and Big (the age-cutoffs between divisions may differ from district to district). Little League welcomes both boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 18. One of the aims of Little League, other than simply to have fun, is to teach children about teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play. Their watchwords are Character, Courage, Loyalty.
The most important event in the Little League calendar is the annual Little League World Series, which is held every August in Williamsport, PA. Tournaments are held throughout the USA, including the territories of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the CNMI, and Puerto Rico, and also across the rest of the world. In 2003 for example, there were also tournaments in Canada, Europe (Germany and Poland), Latin America (Mexico, Panama, Curaçao and Aruba), and in Asia (Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan)and Peru.
The Little League was founded by Carl Stotz in 1939 as a three-team league in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. There are now millions of Little League players in scores of countries around the world.
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The organization now has its headquarters in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, directly across the Susquehanna River from the site of the original league. South Williamsport also hosts the Little League World Series at Howard J. Lamade Stadium.
A similar body, known as the Babe Ruth League, also exists; the two are often confused, but have no affiliation with one another.
External links
- Official Little League web site (http://www.littleleague.org/)
- Little League World Series Champions (http://www.littleleague.org/series/history/historicalresults.htm)
- Babe Ruth League web site (http://www.baberuthleague.org/)