Monday, August 25, 2008

The Political Economy of Youth Baseball


I always get a kick out of youth sports stories and the like, and this one was no exception. It turns out that nine-year-old Jericho Scott is too good of a pitcher-- evidently he threw too hard and his league, Youth Baseball League of New Haven, dictated that he could no longer toe the slab. When he refused to stop pitching, the opposition forfeited, packed up their gear and went home.

It sure seems like an awkward scenario; I've played and been around youth baseball for a good portion of my life, and I've never heard of anything that remotely resembles this scenario.

So enter in the political economy!
Jericho's coach and parents say the boy is being unfairly targeted because he turned down an invitation to join the defending league champion, which is sponsored by an employer of one of the league's administrators.
Indeed.

1 comment:

Justin M Ross said...

What would our wanna be Presidents say on the issue:

Obama: "Clearly Jericho's opponents should be awarded a share of the strike-outs he pitches."

McCain: "How about we offer a large government payout to players who can compete against Jericho? The payout will encourage new players to emerge and start throwing 40 mph fastballs."

Biden: "Ty Cobb is a prick. But he sure can hit. God almighty, that man can hit."