During a typical summer in Fort Wayne, Indiana, children sign up to play in the usual array of organized sports leagues. But there is one league that differs from the rest. It's called the Wildcat Baseball League, and its guiding principle is that youth sports are recreational, not boot camp for the pros.
Dale McMillen, a local businessman and philanthropist, founded the league in 1961. According to local legend, McMillen was disheartened after watching a group of children glumly slink off after being told they didn’t make the cut at baseball tryouts. He resolved to form a league that would spare young players the same disappointment. He chose a fitting motto: "Everybody makes the Team."
In 2007, 2,984 kids were welcomed to the Wildcat Baseball's league. Players were divided into fitting divisions ranging from Kitten (6-7) to Tiger (13-14). From June through August, the kids played on athletic fields in and around Ft. Wayne.
For the most part, it was baseball the way it's played on youth diamonds across the nation. Yet there are some striking differences that make Wildcat Baseball standout from other baseball leagues. For example, the league only plays ball during daylight hours, with different teams taking the field every 90 minutes or so from 8AM – 3PM. This schedule ensures that players never miss dinner at home (or other obligations) because of a baseball game.
Even more, Wildcat coaches are high school and college students selected and paid by the league. Their duties are different from typical youth coaches. Rather than being assigned a team, they work with many teams and dozens of young players in a single season. During a game, one coach might help out with both teams while the second works as the umpire. Parents aren't asked - or permitted - to be coaches. They are of course, welcome to attend games as spectators.
McMillen’s mindset is that winning matters but so does learning the fundamentals. During a Wildcat game, it is common for play to stop while a coach gives a brief lesson about, say, how to stick out a fielder's mitt. This brief timeout is digested as a critical learning opportunity for every player, rather than a single kid.
Furthermore, when the season ends, it really ends. There are no All-Star games or travel teams. The talented players are not celebrated more than ones who went the entire season without a hit. The only trophies for personal accomplishments go to players who rack up perfect attendance. There is no post-season banquet and there are no team photos to buy. Bill Derbyshire, president of Wildcat Baseball said, “Offering these perks would put us right back in the Little League mentality. Our philosophy is that we’re not going to continually be handing out stuff to the players.”
In theory and in practice, Wildcat Baseball is an idea that works. Over five decades, the program has graduated 175,000 youth players including some who went on to become doctors, lawyers and in one case, a soap opera star. Most look back on playing as a formative experience, were fun and fundamentals mattered most.
What lesson can youth sports programs across the country learn from the Wildcat League? Maybe it is that if you build a league that allows kids to play for pure fun, they will come.
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Great article, great idea!!! Personally, I like anything that encourages leaning of the fundamentals of the game over external rewards. The real fun in sports comes from playing the game, and learning how to play the game well, not from extrinsic rewards.