Politics, Favoritism, Fatalism and the Self-Fulfilling Prophesy

In youth baseball, there is much for a parent to get worked up about. There’s much for a player to get worked up about, too. Many times, the parent and the player are not on the same page and that’s a good thing. There are few tragedies greater than when a player gives up his dream because he was influenced by his parent’s fatalism.

I cannot say with any accuracy how many times a parent has used the words “politics” and “political” when describing youth baseball. Many parents of high school students have told me that their teenager was rejected from the baseball team because of politics. Even more parents have said that their young player didn’t make the Little League or PONY all star team because of politics. And from time to time I hear a parent or grandparent say their child is a substitute on the local club team because of politics.

Politics is an attempt to change things by providing favors. There is no value judgment associated with politics. It is a reality of government and everyday life that is neither good nor bad. Politics can be both and neither. If I want my neighbor to do something for me, I’ll probably do something for him. Politics happen every day, in every walk of life, and affect to nearly everybody.

As in life, politics play a role in youth baseball. I have swapped favors for coaches many times in hopes of getting better field times. I am exceedingly friendly with umpires, not in hopes of getting a bad call in my favor but in hopes that I get help when I need it. It’s sadly possible that an individual child may lose a place on an all star team when another child undeservedly takes a spot as a favor between parents. The same could conceivably happen at the high school level. Do these things happen because of politics? Maybe.

I have occasionally chosen less-gifted athletes for teams because of politics. I can recall one player who worked as hard to help me set up and tear down practice fields as he did to improve his game. I remember a player who went out of his way to congratulate teammates after good plays and encourage teammates after mistakes. I can think of players who thanked me for my efforts, asked for extra practice and made a point of asking questions. These kinds of players are much more valuable to me than the home run hitters who alienate other players and act as if they are the stars of the team. Is that politics? You bet it is.

At an interpersonal level, politics is simply favoritism swapped for favoritism. Humans cannot help but show favoritism to people they like. Everyone does it. Some people benefit from it and others suffer.

What this means to a young player is that youth baseball is no different from every other aspect of his life, and he better understand the process. In addition to improving his game, mastering several defensive positions, becoming a better hitter and running the bases well, a young player should learn to be a good teammate, be polite and supportive, arrive early to help his coach setup, stay late to help clean up, be attentive at all times, ask good questions and offer to wash his coach’s car. Young players should realize that being a great player will make them a great player and sucking up to the coach never hurts.

Like so much in baseball, this is another life lesson.

Parents need to avoid fatalism, especially around their children. In the final analysis, it doesn’t matter if a parent believes his child has no chance of becoming a Little League All Star, making the high school team, or earning a living in Major League Baseball. It is very important, though, that a parent keep those thoughts away from the young player. Young players will only play baseball as long as they have the passion to play and the drive to succeed. If Mom and Dad’s fatalism gets in the way, it simply leads to a self-fulfilling prophesy that nobody wanted in the beginning.