While I was at the park the other day, I couldn
’t help but laugh as I watched a bunch of kids playing tag. I
had read something about tag a few days earlier in a book and how
it relates to our youth baseball and youth sports of today. Yes,
tag, that good old fashioned game that teaches fundamental athletic
skills in a way that children natural
ly play.
While I was at the park the other day, I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched a bunch of kids playing tag. I had read something about tag a few days earlier in a book and how it relates to our youth baseball and youth sports of today. Yes, tag, that good old fashioned game that teaches fundamental athletic skills in a way that children naturally play.
Imagine what would happen if adults decided to jump in and organize tag games for their kids. The adults would start with the basic needs for organization and management. They would find the fields, organize teams and set schedules. If the kids were going to play tag, obviously they would need coaches to tell them how to play. Those coaches would need assistant coaches to keep track of tag minutes, tag assists and tag hits. In time, coaches would devise strategies on how to beat the other tag teams.
If tag teams were expected to win, coaches would worry that their taggers might not improve as quickly as the other taggers so they would have tag practices, two a week to go along with two real tag games. During the first season, adults and parents would notice different levels of tag abilities. They would worry about the fact that their best taggers wouldn’t get better fast enough if they continue to play with the worst taggers.
A parent would be sitting in the stands thinking, “ You know, my kid is a born tagger. I’m sitting next to so-and-so and his kid is just not a good tagger. I need more competitive tagging.” More adults would think this way and contact a town that also has its own tag teams. A regional commission would be formed and tag All-Stars would be formed. There would be tag evaluations and tryouts. Eventually, tag travel teams would be formed.
In time, commercial lines of tag shoes, tag shirts and tag hats would already be in sporting goods stores. They’d probably have overnight tag bags for those serious taggers who travel to tag tournaments!
As I continued to watch those kids play tag I realized how much our society has changed and how kids just don’t go down to the local school or park and play over-the-line, three flies up or strike ‘em out like we used to. Gone are the days of over the trees is a home run, a double is on Mrs. Smith’s front porch, and a single is over the curb.
We’ve structured things for kids way too much, and while that’s not a bad thing, I’d sometimes wish that there would be a resurgence in backyard sandlot baseball, where kids get together and make up their own games with no adult intervention. A place where every kid can still dream of hitting that home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. A place where kids can see themselves in the World Series. A place where their imagination can run wild with no rules or boundaries, only things they make up.
The game of tag at the park was now over and the kids were exhausted. They chugged down drinks and snacks. I only hoped that these same kids would return someday with gloves, balls and bats and play a made up game of tag baseball and rekindle their dreams!
