Life Lessons Learned from Watching Little League Baseball Games
By: Chris Schatz Ed.D
Tags: Baseball, Self Improvement, Personal Development, Life Lessons, Life

Life Lessons Learned from Watching Little League Baseball Games

And what kids can teach us about how to live the good life

I’ve spent a lot of time at the Little League baseball diamonds this summer…a lot. Since late-April I’ve spent countless hours parked in my camping chair on the sidelines watching my two boys play game after game. By my estimation, I’ve eaten approximately 472 concession stand hamburgers, a metric ton of French-fries, and snagged roughly 5 foul balls (sadly though, I had to give my hard-fought souvenirs back — it seems our local league doesn’t have an endless budget to replace all those baseballs).

Watching a youth baseball game is a great way to spend an evening (except for those frigid Wisconsin May nights where the temperature dipped to a ridiculous 41 degrees), and after watching a full season of youth baseball I’ve come to learn a few life lessons from these kids that we adults can apply to our own lives.

Slow down and enjoy it

Little League games only go 7 innings, but the actual time fluctuated greatly. Some games would drag on and become 2.5-hour marathons, others flew by in 90 minutes — you never know. This is the same with life, you never how long it’s gonna last. Some of us die young at 25, others live until they’re 90.

Either way, enjoy it while it lasts. Pause and appreciate it or things are going to pass you by. I witnessed a few kids staring at the clouds or kicking the dirt, only to get startled when a ball came sailing their way. They were unprepared, caught off guard. Pay attention or life will pass you by. Spend more time participating in and appreciating life than being lost in a screen watching the lives of others.

Also, appreciate the little things. During the game the players got excited about little things such as a hit, a good pitch, a nice catch in the outfield. Kids are great at discovering these. What little things in life can you discover to be more appreciative of?

The score doesn’t matter

No matter the score of the game, the kids were out there having a good time (most times it was the adults who were taking the fun out of things). Lighten up. If you make an error or strikeout, you’ll get the next one. And if you don’t, well, is it that big of deal?

Most things in life aren’t that serious.

Baseball is a game after all. At the end of the game, or season, it really didn’t matter how many hits a kid got, or what the team record was. If they had fun, learned something about themselves and about being a good teammate, and they gave their best effort, then it was worth it.

The same is true in life. At the end of the game does it really matter what size house you had, or how many accolades or toys you accumulated? Probably not. What kind of person you were, and what kind of teammate you were, is what will be remembered.

Do something because you love it, not because you’re gonna get rich

No offense, but the odds of any of these kids making it to the Major Leagues, my boys included, are practically zero. I know that breaks some parents’ hearts, but these kids aren’t going to get rich (or even make a living) playing baseball.

The kids played anyways, because they loved it. They weren’t out there like they were trying out for the Dodgers, they were just having fun. Care-free.

This summer I saw kids playing baseball and having fun hanging out with their friends and playing a game. They weren’t worried about tomorrow, or their jobs, or bills, or other responsibilities. How can we as adults do the same? Live in the present, enjoy the time spent pursuing your interests, enjoy the time spent with those you want to be with. Have fun doing what you love to do; pursue your hobbies no matter if it makes you money or not.

Teamwork wins in the end

This summer I saw a lot of good ballplayers, but 100% of the time the team won, not an individual player. The team that plays together the best wins in the end, sometimes even if they’ve been down the whole game.

Rely on those around you.

Ask for, and accept, help.

Pick up a teammate when they’re down and congratulate them when they do well. You may be having a rough day, and it’ll be the team around you that will be there to help you out.

We don’t get anywhere without the help of others around us. Even if a kid has 4 hits in the game and scores all the runs, they still needed their teammates to help win, that’s why there’s (at least) 9 people on a team in baseball. No one player can do it all on their own.

Persevere; keep your head up

Even if you’ve been hit-less the whole game and committed a few errors in the field, all it takes is one opportunity to turn it all around and everything can change. I saw kids who had pretty rough games come through in the last inning and have the game-winning hit.

Baseball is a game of ups and downs, of streaks­­ — same as life. You may struggle at the plate, but you can still shine in the field. Focus on what you can do and try not to worry about what you can’t.

I saw the kids improve as the season progressed, which was a direct result of effort and time spent practicing. The more they worked the better they got. It was so fun to see the kids progress during the season, to see that look of joy on their faces when they got their first hit or made a great catch in the field.

The same is true in life — the more you work at something, the better you will get. You must put in the work to improve at anything though. It takes time and effort. It’s not just gonna fall into your lap. Eventually things will go your way, but you have to persevere, you have to stick with it. You have to put in the work.

Do the little things well

There are very few home runs in baseball, especially Little League baseball — there are substantially more base hits that will score a run. There’s also very few diving, highlight-reel catches — there’s more routine ground balls and pop fly outs. Each has the same effect though: a run scored or an out.

It’s the many little things though, if done well, that will lead to the good outcomes and end up winning the game. The good throw, the nice catch, a base hit — these little mundane routine instances all culminate in playing a good game and giving you and your team the best chance at success.

The same is true in life. Sure, there are a few “life-defining” moments (most of these we don’t even realize at the time, instead we realize them years later upon reflection), but most of our lives are made up of the everyday little decisions and tasks that, when done right, pay dividends long down the road.

What if we all lived life like kids play baseball?

If we can all live life like a kids play baseball I’m sure we’d be less stressed, much happier, and enjoy our short time here on Earth a whole lot more.

This summer, Little Leaguers taught me to slow down and enjoy life, to not feel the need to keep score, to do something that brings me joy, to rely on those around me (and to be there for them in return), to persevere and keep after it, to do the little things well.

All necessary life lessons to live a fulfilled and more complete life.

It’s amazing what kids can teach us about how to live the good life.