Tee-ball

Tee-ball (also teeball, tee ball or t-ball) is a team sport based on and simplifying baseball and softball. It is intended as an introduction for children aged 4 to 6 to develop ball-game skills and have fun.

A tee-ball player swings at a ball resting on the tee.

Description

Tee-ball associations generally allow children between the ages of four and seven to play in their leagues.[1] A tee-ball coach sets the team lineup and fielding positions in the team's scorebook. The positions that get the most action in tee-ball are pitcher and first base, followed by the rest of the infield positions. In some leagues, catcher is also a special position due to the added gear that is worn; in other leagues, there is no catcher. In tee-ball, the pitcher is usually used for defensive purposes only, though gently pitched balls may be used with older or more advanced players in place of the fixed tee. The ball is placed on an adjustable tee atop the home plate at a suitable height for the batter to strike. (In some clubs, adult coaches give the batter an opportunity to try and hit a few pitched balls before going to the tee in the hope that this will further develop batting skills.)[2] Most of the other rules are similar or identical to those of baseball, though the game is played on a smaller field, typically one used for Little League or other youth baseball.[2] In addition, for the youngest tee-ball players, runs and outs are often not recorded, and every player gets to bat each inning.[1]

A young catcher crouches behind the tee.

Example tee-ball roster sign that is displayed so the fans can cheer the kids by name.

Many parents assist during the game by coaching players in the dugout, in the field, on the bases, and at the plate. They often also perform the task of umpiring.

Equipment specifications

Bats: 25 to 26 inches long, 2.25 inches diameter, maximum weight 17 to 20 oz.[2]

Balls: typically appear identical to baseballs, but slightly softer to reduce injuries: 9 to 9.5 inches around, 4 to 5 oz weight, with a molded core or sponge rubber center.[2]

Footwear: Athletic footwear such as running shoes.[2]

Gloves: 12 inches long maximum.[2]

Safety helmets: Mandatory at all times.[2]

Tee: Height-adjustible, flexible tube, with a movable base.[2]

History

The game's origins date back to at least the 1950s, with several people claiming to be the father of the game, and it appears to have been independently invented in several places. Albion, Michigan claims to be the earliest place of invention of the sport, in 1956, by Jerome Sacharski.[3] Claude Lewis, director of the Warner Robins, Georgia, Recreation Department, formed a tee-ball league in March 1958, in which 20 children played the first year. Lewis designed rules for the new game and mailed the rule books out to rec departments all over the country and overseas. Nevertheless, Starkville, Mississippi claims to have independently created tee-ball in their town in 1961. According to the Starkville Rotary Club's website: "In 1961, when it was apparent that younger children needed some way to participate in the program, Rotarians Dr. Clyde Muse and W. W. Littlejohn devised the game of t-ball and added it to the summer baseball program."[4]

A "Tee Ball" trademark was registered in the early 1970s with the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Robert Dayton Hobbs (1924–2006), the pastor of a fundamentalist Christian church he founded in Milton, Florida, and also the organizer in the late 1950s of the first organized youth baseball program in Santa Rosa County, Florida.[5] Hobbs's "Tee Ball" trademark was still asserted by Gospel Projects, Inc., of Milton, Florida, at least as of 2009 (last year of publication of their "Tee Ball Baseball Organization Rules").[6]

Hobbs credited the United States Navy with spreading the game overseas.

It is estimated that 2.2 million children play tee-ball.[7]

In the "White House Tee Ball Initiative", U.S. president George W. Bush hosted tee-ball games on the South Lawn of the White House.[8]

United States

T-Ball USA Association

A non-profit governing body exists in the United States, the T-Ball USA Association, of West Palm Beach, Florida.[9] It is a national member of USA Baseball, a partner of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), and its principal officers are members of the National Council of Youth Sports.[9] The association publishes a summarized basic rule-set[10] and field requirements,[11] and supports local parks and recreation departments, youth activity clubs and baseball leagues, military bases's youth programs, and independent parent-administered leagues.[9] The organization also arranges events, including tee-ball team attendance at Major and Minor League baseball games, and the MLB All-Star Game FanFests.[9] Their stylized "T•BALL USA" logo "identifies the projects and programs created to support the national tee ball constituency and marks licensed and approved products, corporate sponsorships and appropriate alliances."[9]

In Australia

Tee-ball is a popular sport for Australian primary school children. An estimated 60% of Australian primary schools include Tee-ball in their sports programs and 17,000 children play in organised competitions.[12] 2017 research found 10.6% of 6–13 year-olds regularly play T-ball, making it the 14th most popular children's sport in Australia.[13] This does not appear to translate into increased participation in baseball and softball which are not popular sports for teenagers older than 14.

References

1. Joseph. "Different Coaching for Different Ages". Ultimate Youth Baseball. Ultimate Youth Baseball. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
2. McIntosh, Ned; Cropper, Rich (2013). Tee Ball A Little League Baseball guide. Little League Baseball. p. 19. ISBN 9780071425391. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
3. "T-Ball Invented in Albion", Frank Passic, Morning Star, April 28, 2002, pg. 5
4. "A Look at the Starkville Rotary Club Through the Years". Starkville Rotary Club.
5. Hobbs, a 1959 graduate of Bob Jones University, founded Santa Rosa [County, Florida] Christian Schools in 1962, and instrumental in forming the Christian Educators' Association. "All Things for Jesus: The Ministry of Dayton Hobbs". Voice of the Alumni. Greenville, South Carolina, US: Bob Jones University. 82 (4): 14–16. 2009.
6. "Tee Ball Baseball Organization Rules". Milton, Florida: Gospel Projects, Inc. 2001. Archived from the original on October 25, 2009.
7. Office of the Press Secretary (June 26, 2005). "White House South Lawn Tee Ball". The White House. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
8. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/teeball/2008/sept7.html
9. "Welcome - T-BALL Home". TeeBallUSA.org. Op. cit. 2014.
10. "Rules". TeeBallUSA.org. West Palm Beach, Florida, US: T-Ball USA Association. 2014.
11. "Field of Play". TeeBallUSA.org. Op. cit. 2014.
12. "Junior Baseball". Australian Baseball League.
13. "Top 20 sports led by walking, swimming and gym training". Roy Morgan. 13 May 2018.