SHOULD LITTLE LEAGUERS BE PAID?

ESPN/ABC is making millions of dollars on the Little League World Series.

The players are making nothing.

Is there something wrong with that picture?

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports thinks there is.

He say Little League players should be paid.

I have a problem with kids being over-organized and parents placing a little too much emphasis on organized sports a little too early but, if they are the reason for ABC/ESPN making millions of dollars, it’s not that outrageous to suggest that they get a piece of the pie.

Is it?

Date: August 25, 2011

Categories: Sports

Tags: ABC, DAN WETZEL, ESPN, LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES, PAY FOR LITTLE LEAGUERS?, PAYING LITTLE LEAGUE PLAYERS, YAHOO SPORTS

Comments RSS TrackBack 36 comments

Reply

Niblick

in August 25th, 2011 @ 09:54

John, I say that there is something wrong with the whole picture. These games should not be televised and the kids should never get paid for playing in these games. It is ridiculous that they even have these tournaments. These kids can’t even enjoy their childhood because of over-organized sports. And now we want them to be professionals? Out of control if you ask me.

Reply

oksteelerfan

in August 25th, 2011 @ 12:31

Yes it’s getting way out of hand. Way too many parents live their lives through their children. The fun has been taken out of sports. Once upon a time playing sports for kids was about having fun and learning sportsmanship.
If any money should be paid it should be the cost of getting too these tournaments only and money paid to local communities to repair fields, buy uniforms, etc.

A better idea though is for kids to be not televised. I just kind of have a problem with kids being exploited whether it’s for some stupid reality show or to bring in money for a sports station.

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Mike from Boston

in August 25th, 2011 @ 10:05

The link in the post isn’t working

This is a really tricky gray area. I know practically nothing about what business arrangements, if any at all, the Little League has with ESPN/ABC. I’m guessing it’s not like the broadcasting contracts that Universities have with them, or what Notre Dame has with NBC.

I am completely on board with money being funnelled back into the teams’ communities, or a scholarship prize or something, but I don’t know about cold hard cash to players’ families, because I don’t know enough about the Little League business organization.

A news company making money off their news coverage doesn’t necessarily mean that the subject of the coverage should be paid for it. You don’t see WPXI paying every joe schmo that Fedko interviews during WPIALs.

If EA Sports gets involved and creates some Little League game using player likenesses, or if some other merchandising deal takes place, then yes the players and their families absolutely must get a slice of that. But I’m on the fence about compensating people for what is essentially sports news coverage.

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John Steigerwald

in August 25th, 2011 @ 10:39

Fedko interviewing a high school kid is a long way from selling multi-million dollar advertising and taking in millions in cable subscriptions for what is scheduled programming.
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GeeWhiz

in August 25th, 2011 @ 11:58

“money being funnelled back into the teams’ communities, or a scholarship prize or something”

Yeah, this makes the most sense. If kids (and coaches, for that matter) get some sort of monetary prize, then the whole thing could get real, real ugly.

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Parker39

in August 25th, 2011 @ 10:25

Simple solution, kids in the LLWS get money set aside for their post high school education. (minus their agent’s fee of course!)

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Niblick

in August 25th, 2011 @ 14:36

But wouldn’t this lead to a kid, or worse his parents, selling his rights to the highest bidder. That would be ugly and obscene. These post-season tournaments are done to reward certain players for their abilities during the year. And, of course, feed the egos of some of the coaches. Let’s not make it more seedier than it already is.

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Erik

in August 25th, 2011 @ 10:54

If you start paying the little leaguers then it wont be too long until the college players start begging for a paycheck

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John Steigerwald

in August 25th, 2011 @ 15:33

The college players are getting free tuition and free room and board.

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Erik

in August 25th, 2011 @ 15:42

I know and that wont be enough for them

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Dr. Phibes

in August 25th, 2011 @ 11:26

I saw this on TV last night. Who did Brent Musberger and Orel Herscheiser piss off that they got the announcing assignment? Was the Pop Warner midget football league games already taken?

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John Steigerwald

in August 25th, 2011 @ 15:34

They’ve been doing it for a while. There’s not a lot of college football or basketball for Brent to do right now and I’m sure it pays well.

Reply

Tbow

in August 25th, 2011 @ 11:57

I don’t know of any 11 and 12 yr old kid that plays baseball for any other reason other than they love the game. Once again you can’t always equate an adult opinion to what a child feels or believes. When you are 11 and 12 rs old life is not consumed with the materialistic goals as it is with adults. We should be so lucky to enjoy doing something in life for free and getting the joy out of it that those kids do playing a game. The article should direct the notion that ABC/ESPN should donate 100% of their profits to charity from the proceeds of the LLWS. That would actually be an article worth while reading and discussing.
Reply

Chris

in August 25th, 2011 @ 12:58

All the money that us being generated should at least pay for the teams and parents expenses to come to Williamsport. I think that is at the very least what Little League Inc should do.
Reply

Mike V.

in August 25th, 2011 @ 16:10

Am I the only person who hates watching the LLWS?

The games shouldn’t be on TV. I remember growing up, the final game was on something like Wide World of Sports. That was when the Japanese kids were much better than they are now. I’m OK with that, but too much pressure for kids that young if you ask me to go two weeks with it.

I don’t find a moral equivalence with paying LL players or college players. LL players shouldn’t be paid and neither should college players. However, if either one of them can get a contract signing autographs, or some other job, for mone, then it is a free country.

The whole argument about ESPN making money; therefore, the kids should get paid seems silly to me. ESPN is a media outlet. They televise events and people either watch them or they don’t. To me, it is the same as the evening news. Nobody gets paid for being on the news. What’s next? Paying criminals for getting caught on the show COPS? If anyone applies enough extreme logic to anything, silly outcomes are created. Think about the LLWS too much and silly ideas are created.

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a-dawg

in August 25th, 2011 @ 18:04

People ARE watching – and ESPN is charging money for advertising. Then, in turn, LL charges ESPN so they have the right to televise the games. There is all kinds of money changing hands here.

Everyone has to get out of their head that ESPN is a media outlet. IT IS NOT. It has become a network.

ESPN is huge with a ton of reporters…right? Then why haven’t they uncovered any of these college football programs that are cheating??? It is mostly Yahoo! Sports. It’s cause they are in the business of making money – NOT reporting news. And they don’t want to mess with CFB and the NCAA – why kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. ESPN needs the Ohio States, USCs, The U and all these other programs to be allowed to be on TV so they can charge top dollar for commercials.

To prove my point even more with ESPN – they day they dropped the NHL and added the NBA….their reporting completely changed. NBA is all over the network and Sportscenter – while it is hard to find any NHL coverage anywhere on their networks. And it was the complete opposite before they switched it up. Sportscenter concentrates WAY more on sports ESPN televises – than on sports they don’t. Does that sound like a “media outlet” to you? It sounds like self-promotion to me.

Mike V. – not throwing hate on you….it’s just reality with ESPN. You might as well think of them as a network as opposed to a news outlet.

Reply

Mike V.

in August 25th, 2011 @ 20:42

Definition of media is below.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/media

ESPN is a media outlet. ESPN is a network that is a media outlet. NBC is a network that is a media outlet. ABC is a network that is a media outlet. CBS is a network that is a media outlet. This blog that John provides is a form of a media outlet. I don’t need to go on.

These networks produce and distribute information to the public. They directly make money off of advertisers who want to pay to influence the public. Without the advertisers, they don’t make money. They indirectly make money off of games. Without the games, they could make money at something else. Without the games, John could make money at things like broadcasting his opinions about politics and culture.

The schools in the NCAA make money DIRECTLY off of the players because people pay to see the IE football team, not the chess team.. Without the players, they don’t make money.

Without the fans, the networks broadcasting games through the variouis mediums and leagues are nothing. Players, race car drivers, music starts all say, “Thanks to the fans.” The rarely say, “Thanks to the media”, because it is the job of the media to report on what they are doing.

I hope I have been clear and I hope even more the LL World Series will be over soon. It’s terrible entertainment.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in August 25th, 2011 @ 20:44

ESPN would make million without advertising. Think how much they make from cable subscriptions. Advertising is just gravy for ESPN, Fox, CNN etc.

Reply

Gary M

in August 25th, 2011 @ 17:39

I don’t know, call me old fashioned, but I think it’s good for these young wipper snappers to get used to having grownups live off the fruits of their hard work.
Heck, as a country, we’ve been borrowing off of their backs for years!!
Reply

a-dawg

in August 25th, 2011 @ 17:54

Maybe they should create a fund that is used for fixing beat-up fields and facilities. Spread it around. Maybe a bigger chunk would go to the states and/or countries that make it to the LLWS.
Reply

Cambot

in August 25th, 2011 @ 20:12

As others have already pointed out, the real question is why are Little League games being televised.

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Mike V.

in August 26th, 2011 @ 06:33

Becaues ESPN has too many 24 hour a day networks and has nothing to show.
Reply

GeeWhiz

in August 26th, 2011 @ 11:18

Because there’s an audience. Don’t forget, they have to spend money to make more money. They’re not going to waste their time investing in something that no one will watch. And advertisers won’t pay top dollar for commercials if no one will see it.

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DormontDirtBag

in August 26th, 2011 @ 15:44

True. But to me, it’s unwatchable. I went into a bar the other night and they were showing LLWS instead of an exhibition NFL game. My faith in American men was futher shaken.

Reply

Dan

in August 26th, 2011 @ 21:46

John, I am an aspiring bloggist. Please check out my blog at http//inthedancave.blogspot.com

Tell your friends.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in August 26th, 2011 @ 21:51

Welcome to the club. Good luck.

Reply

jethro bodine

in August 27th, 2011 @ 00:18

HEY JOHN , have a question im hoping that you can answer or tell me your views on this. WHY on talk radio, when you or other radio hosts goes to the callers one after the other the caller starts off by saying how you doing every time. so say for example i call in and you all say jethro your next and i say how are you or how ya doing. the next caller goes on the air and its the same disturbing 5 seconds of air time each and every caller. So what im asking does it bother you doing your show or when you listen to some ones show on what every station. or is it just me. By the way !!!! HOW YOU DOING.

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John Steigerwald

in August 27th, 2011 @ 11:07

Tony Kornheiser has a policy of hanging up immediately if the caller asks him how’s he’s doing. I wouldn’t do that but the call screener should tell callers to say Hi and get to the point.

Reply

Chuck

in August 28th, 2011 @ 15:33

I think the Little Leaguers should hire Scott Boras as their agent so they can squeeze every last dollar out of ABC. It’s been stated that an average Boras client gets around $33.4 million per contract while competing agents average $7.6 million. These kids and their families would be set for life.
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Isteve Roissy

in August 28th, 2011 @ 20:30

Nobody thinks Little leaguers should be paid and they never will be paid. This is just a cocamamie, phoney baloney sports talk/read my column thing concocted to feed the 24/7 sports media beast.
Reply

oksteelerfan

in August 29th, 2011 @ 17:24

I was talking to a neighbor kid this afternoon. He gets off at the bus stop and walks by the house every day. Cute little kid that’s in the 4th grade. I asked him this afternoon how school was today and he said it sucked and he hated school. I told him it can’t be that bad and he said, “yeah it is, they took my football away and said I couldn’t have it back until the end of the year.” When I asked him why he said him and some other kids were playing football during recess and the teacher said someone was going to get hurt and football was off limits. So they quit playing and just started playing catch and then she took the football away for them not listening to her. So I told him yeah that did suck and I told him I’d leave him a football by the gate tomorrow afternoon and he could pick it up when he gets off the bus, but not to take it to school.

So John kids would like to still have pick up games but the adults are the real problem, they’re just too stupid to get that they’re the problem.

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John Steigerwald

in August 29th, 2011 @ 17:32

Pathetic. I’m writing a chapter in my book about a Catholic Grade school that lost 3 games in 13 years. In one of the church bulletins there was an article about a meeting to introduce all the sports programs for the coming year. It included intramural touch football and even mentioned that the coaches would be organizing the “snowballing” this year. I went there and the coaches would organize snow ball fights between the 4th and 5th grades.

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oksteelerfan

in August 29th, 2011 @ 20:18

That’s idiotic imo. Why can’t kids just be kids? Adults want them to be individuals when it comes to what kind of music they listen to, what they do to their hair, how they dress and piercings and tattoos, but let them do what comes natural with kids and playing games with no adults allowed and suddenly they need to be organized.

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John Steigerwald

in August 29th, 2011 @ 21:02

I think you missed my point. I was pointing out that at my school they not only didn’t take footballs away from us. They had intramural football teams. No parents or teachers involved. We also had softball. The girls didn’t play in those days, so the boys would elect a captain. He would set the starting lineups etc. The only adult involvement was when the male teacher (referred to as coaches) picked the umpires/officials from kids whose teams were not playing that day. And the coaches not only didn’t worry about us throwing snowballs. They would set the fourth graders up in a fort and have the fifth graders attack them. Imagine that happening today.

Reply

oksteelerfan

in August 29th, 2011 @ 22:03

Yes I did I thought you were saying they were organizing snowball fights in such a way to make it safe.
Probably not though, throwing snowballs period today would probably get a kid suspended.
When I was a kid every year the last day of school we would have water balloon fights. Teachers stayed out of our way and the only rules we had was no water balloons in the school. I used to tell my kids about the good ol’ days and my daughter her senior year planned a water balloon fight on the last day of school. The teachers ended it about as soon as it started claiming someone could get hurt. I honestly can not remember one person ever getting hurt by being hit by a water balloon.
The seniors knowing there wasn’t anything much they could do to them all left campus and walked the 1/2 mile to the city park and finished their fun until they ran out of balloons.

I feel bad for kids today, someone is always worried about them getting hurt and then we wonder why every one is turning into fat wussies.
When I was telling my husband tonight about the neighbor kid, he said I played baseball and football all my life and even above my junior year in hs when our football team went undefeated my most enjoyable sports memories were those football games we played in hs during lunch hour and when all the neighbor kids would find the nearest field or park to play baseball and we never once had a teacher or parent come tell us we were going to get hurt or try to tell us how to play. He said I wouldn’t trade places with any of these kids today.

Reply

John Steigerwald

in August 29th, 2011 @ 22:06

I agree with your husband.

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SHOULD LITTLE LEAGUERS BE PAID?

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Comments RSS TrackBack 36 comments

Niblick

oksteelerfan

Mike from Boston

GeeWhiz

Parker39

Niblick

Erik

Erik

Dr. Phibes

Tbow

Chris

Mike V.

a-dawg

Mike V.

Gary M

a-dawg

Cambot

Mike V.

GeeWhiz

DormontDirtBag

Dan

jethro bodine

Chuck

Isteve Roissy

oksteelerfan

oksteelerfan

oksteelerfan