Consider this an early warning to all current and future parents. Unless want to be driven to complete and utter boredom, make sure you do not sign your kids up for….Tee Ball (or T-Ball). Oh my goodness, if there was ever a remedy for sleeplessness, this sport is it. This game is probably the worst introductory activity or goodwill ambassador for a sport ever invented. If baseball ever wanted to self-destruct and disappear from the planet, it made great progress with the invention of T-Ball. If coaches are wondering why so many kids play lacrosse or soccer instead of baseball/softball anymore, they might want to look the dull foundation the sport is built upon.
All three of my sons played T-Ball when they were young, but at times I thought they could have learned more watching a test pattern on TV or the grass grow in winter. I will grant that the sport may help those children who are shy develop better social skills and the basics of teamwork, but that could be accomplished with some other group activity that has more “fun” associated with it.
Since when is it teaching a child a new sport when you give them as many as 20 missed swings at the ball sitting on a post without the umpire ever declaring that they have struck out? And on top of that, they are still allowed to run the bases as if they had achieved a base hit. While the lack of “action” can be tedious for the parents, it has to be worse for the kids as they stand in the field under a hot summer sun waiting for someone to actually hit the ball.
From my unscientific observations, not only does this sport quickly turn the parents in to blank, mind-numbing, zombies, but it appears to teach the our kids precious little…except perhaps how to survive through incredible boredom. Frankly, our children grow up so incredibly fast, I feel there are many more rewarding family activities that could be found than playing T-Ball.
Rick Brown
