The Little League World Series has been on ESPN every year since 1963. It has become extremely popular and ESPN now has a contract to broadcast every game on one of its stations until 2014. Hidden behind this popular tournament is a scary fact that has been swept under the rug for years. That is the overuse injuries that are experienced by the games 12 year old pitchers. It is not uncommon anymore for kids younger than 16 to have to have Tommy John surgery, shoulder surgery, or any elbow surgery, or tendonitis before these kids even had a chance to realize their dream of becoming a big league ball player.
Recent studies conducted by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews and Dr. John Difiori have shown that Little League turns a blind eye to the dangers facing these young pitchers without strict inning limits as well as more important pitch limits. In MLB pitch limits are common place now with young phenoms such as Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals or Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees. These arms are treated as gold where every move is watched closely by the pitching coach and manager, because of the millions of dollars on the line. When Dr. Andrews and Dr. Difiori were hired my USA Baseball to look at the problems of youth arm injuries, they came up with alarming statistics about overuse, throwing curveballs too young and too often, and coaches and parents pushing their children to the limits. The doctors came up with guidelines given to USA Baseball to help prevent these injuries, only to have the organization give a watered down version of guidelines that would now be followed. Why ask for professional advice if you are not going to listen?
It is now up to the parents of their children to keep their own pitch limits and take responsibility for the kid’s safety. There are numerous problems in youth sports like pressures to win, injuries, and pressures from parents. Nevertheless the benefits such as the values learned, fitness for an overweight generation, and the life skills learned outweigh these negatives. Youth sports should be a great life experience and now parents and our generation needs to take the initiative to make sure that this danger of overuse ends now and youth sports can continue to be an integral part of athletics.
Recent studies conducted by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews and Dr. John Difiori have shown that Little League turns a blind eye to the dangers facing these young pitchers without strict inning limits as well as more important pitch limits. In MLB pitch limits are common place now with young phenoms such as Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals or Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees. These arms are treated as gold where every move is watched closely by the pitching coach and manager, because of the millions of dollars on the line. When Dr. Andrews and Dr. Difiori were hired my USA Baseball to look at the problems of youth arm injuries, they came up with alarming statistics about overuse, throwing curveballs too young and too often, and coaches and parents pushing their children to the limits. The doctors came up with guidelines given to USA Baseball to help prevent these injuries, only to have the organization give a watered down version of guidelines that would now be followed. Why ask for professional advice if you are not going to listen?
It is now up to the parents of their children to keep their own pitch limits and take responsibility for the kid’s safety. There are numerous problems in youth sports like pressures to win, injuries, and pressures from parents. Nevertheless the benefits such as the values learned, fitness for an overweight generation, and the life skills learned outweigh these negatives. Youth sports should be a great life experience and now parents and our generation needs to take the initiative to make sure that this danger of overuse ends now and youth sports can continue to be an integral part of athletics.
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