He said the catcher was the biggest kid in the school and a bully. According to his account, instead of sliding, he ran full blast into this big guy and knocked the ball out of his hand while scoring the winning run. He told me that at that moment he knew that he could accomplish anything in life. He continued on to say that before important deals or decisions all he needs to remember is that incident and he is fine. This is only one story of the millions of stories that could be told.
Athletic performance is more than a game, it can be a basis for a productive and happy life.
As a parent you should value your child's continued interest and success in Sports for a few additional reasons as well. First, if your children are focused on athletics, they are less likely to have a large amount of free time on their hands to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just as you are not able to whisper and shout simultaneously, you child can't be practicing on the Little League field and be climbing over a junkyard fence while his friends steal car radios at the same moment. Secondly, you should be aware we live in a nation of sports consumers. Mega millions of dollars are transferred yearly into scholarship budgets for athletic participation ranging from football to field hockey.