WASHINGTON — In the Arlington Little League and Southern Maryland Little League, there will be no Houston Astros logos on the backs of its youth players. And like other youth programs across the country and locally, this is a calculated decision.
As more about the Astros sign-stealing scandal is revealed in the media and discussed amongst baseball fans, some Little League programs are banning the Houston Astros as a team name this season.
So far, it's been reported that leagues in both Pennsylvania and California will stop using the name in upcoming seasons. A league in Buffalo, New York also dropped the Astros name, according to The Orange County Register.
"It has come to pass, pretty much organically, that we won’t have any teams named the Astros in 2020," Adam Balutis, President of the Arlington Little League, said. "We always consult our coaches about what teams they might want to be, and nobody was asking for the Astros this year. In a larger sense, there are lessons about honor and sportsmanship, consequences and responsibility, character, and courage and loyalty."
While the issues of playing the game "the right way" may be a big reason for the move to not use Astros uniforms, Balutis said that a big concern too for his league is that no one gets teased for wearing Astros gear.
"We try hard to set that example for our players, but the greatest issue on our minds is that we wouldn’t want to put twelve kids out there in a uniform that makes opponents tease them," Balutis said. "Even if it’s meant to be good-natured, that can have a lasting impact on a child’s enjoyment of the baseball experience."
Balutis said he once had a player in his league who wouldn't send his picture day baseball card to his family because, "he was a Red Sox fan, and he didn’t want his family to see him in Yankee pinstripes."
Making sure kids don't get teased is something that Aaron Jones, who is a coach and leader with the Southern Maryland Little League organization, said is a big factor in decisions to use team names in his league, too.
Jones, who confirmed there will not be an Astros team in SMLL, said that in years past, they've excluded using World Series winners, including teams that have controversial fan followings in the DMV region.
Jones said his league hasn't used teams such as the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, who are both rivals with local teams, the Orioles and the Nationals.
"I personally think what they [the Astros] did was worse than steroids," Jones said.
Jones said that a sign-stealing issue that happened in Little League World Series' New England regional became an issue that parents and coaches across the nation saw. It is something that Little League has addressed and made rules to specifically stop.
While Jones said Little League's national headquarters has not sent down any specific details on how to address the Astros cheating with its young players, he did say that the league's national motto, is something that is constantly stated to players in the SMLL, and that having integrity is important to their local league.
Other leagues that WUSA9 has reached out to include leagues in Southern Maryland and Northern Virginia. Some say they don't have to choose whether to use the Astros name, because their leagues either use sponsor names from local businesses or participate in the Washington Nationals Uniform Program, which provides free jerseys to youth baseball leagues; all teams are different color combinations of the Nationals, so no one feels left out from being the local Big League team in town.
Balutis said that the Arlington Little League doesn't participate in the Nationals Uniform Program, because the league enjoys having different teams, plus it makes it feel more like baseball for everyone.
"The question about how to turn this into a conversation about right and wrong in the game of baseball, that lingers," Balutis said.
This question is something that lingers for many leagues across the country.
Balutis added that the Red Sox also being investigated for potential sign-stealing creates even more issues surrounding youth uniform choices, and how to handle the overall issue.
While these leagues may not have an exact plan on how to talk about the Astros scandal, many that WUSA9 talked to did express the hope that discussions during the season with its youth players about what Houston did can lead to teaching moments.
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