You see, every August we watch the Little League World Series (LLWS), not the political conventions nor the television channels mindlessly broadcasting every overstatement, no matter how absurd. Instead, for two glorious weeks at the height of every summer, we devote ourselves solely to ESPN’s coverage of an American classic that the world seems to love as much as we do. During that wonderful fortnight, a gaggle of 11 and 12-year-olds, accompanied by their coaches, parents, families and fans, descend on tiny Williamsport, Pennsylvania for the double-elimination tournament crowning the world’s best Little League team.

An indifferent Little Leaguer, my principal connection to that spectacle is geographical, having attended Lycoming College – barely a mile from those pristine, carefully undersized stadia – as an undergraduate. The deeply green mountains framing every televised camera angle begin turning just as the last Little Leaguer clears town, the bright orange of fall lasting about three days before the Pennsylvania winter sets in. Then baseball gives way to nine months of hard academic slog.

With few outside distractions, I discovered what the Framers had intended when writing our Constitution and why, a generation later, Alexis De Tocqueville had written his scathing but prophetic treatise on American democracy. “America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” Or more specifically, “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.” https://www.azquotes.com/quote/295242

To my gratified surprise, LLWS games regularly feature some stunning displays of classic values all good parents try to teach. Several years ago, a batter was hit in the head by an errant pitch, quickly examined, revived and sent on to first base. Problem was, the pitcher’s confidence had been shaken so badly that his next two throws were even wilder. Now watching from first base, the hit batter called time, trotted over to the mound and hugged the pitcher! There probably wasn’t a dry eye in the stadium but the roars of applause from the stands lasted until the game finally resumed. Yesterday, during a hard-fought elimination game, a Japanese runner sliding into second base knocked down the Venezuelan short-stop, immediately apologizing and ensuring that his opponent was unhurt. At the LLWS, good sportsmanship seems as basic a skill as learning to hit the cutoff man.  

It is equally refreshing to see the adults acting like adults rather than frustrated has-beens trying to reclaim glory through their kids. Instead, you regularly see stunning reminders of why families exist, like the Miami-based godparents who had never seen their beloved Cuban godson Alejandro pitch in live action; but now they have – including consolation after his opponents hit a grand-slam home run. Or the always gritty Mexican team who dedicated their season to their former coach, a thirty-something who died suddenly last year of a heart ailment: Hombres, he woulda’ been proud!

A rookie member of the Lone Star nation, I cheered hardest for the team from Boerne Texas, a San Antonio suburb with abilities that have propelled them to Saturday’s contest for the American championship. Julian Hurst, their long-armed, lanky pitcher has a mean fastball but can also hit one over the wall if the opposing pitcher hangs a slider. A former Olympic soccer star, Julie Foudy of ESPN focuses her interviews on the game and the challenges often faced by families supporting an amateur athlete. This week she interviewed a Boerne baseball mom who was overjoyed when her son hit a game-winning grand slam; but with infinite tact, Ms Foudy coaxed the underlying story of how that same son had undergone open-heart surgery as an 8-year-old - and how faith had sustained her family throughout their ordeal.

Last Sunday night, the major league New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers came to Williamsport for a game that has become a mid-summer classic. Even the big leaguers seemed thoroughly impressed by their smallest fans. But while ESPN regularly endures criticism as a corrupting TV influence on Little League, (e.g, https://nypost.com/2024/08/22/sports/espns-disgusting-influence-infiltrating-little-league-world-series) I would argue that De Tocqueville would probably applaud what we witness at the LLWS each summer. Those boys of August will soon enough become the parents of tomorrow on which American destiny ultimately depends.

Colonel (Ret.) Kenneth Allard was drafted soon after graduating from Lycoming College. A former West Point professor, Dean of the National War College and NBC News military analyst, he now lives quietly in San Antonio.

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