I recently had the privilege and opportunity to spend time with Choice Hotels, Allstate, Snickers and Subway who are all clients of Active Marketing Group and partners with Little League. Having attended many of the world’s greatest sporting events – from the NBA finals, Super Bowl, US Open, French Open, Olympics, NCAA finals and more – there is nothing quite like the Little League World Series Championship.
America’s favorite pastime and one of the premier worldwide youth sports events is alive and well. Despite a challenging economy and low attendance concerns due to high gas prices and the broadcast of the 2008 Summer Olympics occurring at the same time, a record breaking 331,285 spectators attended the 62nd Annual Little League Baseball World Series.
The Little League Baseball World Series is a 10-day event held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, at Volunteer and Lamade Stadiums August 15–24, 2008. The teams that participate in this annual championship come from all over the world to compete and claim the crown for their state or country. Of the 16 teams that traveled to the 2008 Little League Baseball World Series this year, eight were from the United States:
– Hagerstown, MD
– Mill Creek, WA
– Lake Charles, LA
– Jeffersonville, IN
– Shelton, CT
– Waipahu, HI
– Tampa, FL
– Rapid City, SD
The other eight were from Curacao, Mexico, Italy, Guam, Saudi Arabia, Japan, British Columbia and Venezuela. Over the course of the 10-day event, 32 games were nationally televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. Hawaii defeated Mexico 12-3 in the Championship game to earn the title of World Series Champions for the second time in four years, and Japan defeated Louisiana 4-3 in the consolation game
What impressed me about this event was not only the skill level of the players and the sportsmanship displayed by each and every participant, but the passion for the game displayed by the fans and families who traveled to this event from all over the globe to support these youngsters and ultimately, the future of youth sports.
In addition to the parents and coaches who support and share their players’ passion for baseball, my hat’s off to the sponsors, the volunteers and the Little League organization that invested both time and resources to create this unique opportunity for young athletes worldwide.
For those sports lovers who want to enjoy America’s greatest pastime at a world class event, I suggest you make the pilgrimage to Williamsport for next year’s 63rd Little League World Series.
By Steve Hagan
Active Marketing Group
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