Sam Silverstein, Inc. offers free Accountability Coaching for the Little League coach and administrator who have been suspended in Chicago. Little League Baseball has stripped the U.S. championship from Chicago-based Jackie Robinson West. The team’s manager has been suspended and the district’s administrator has been removed. These adults worked together to extend the boundaries of the district so they could add players to the team that would not have normally qualified to play for them. All of this was done to help strengthen the team. All of this was illegal.
The children had no control over how the team was assembled. The ones who really pay the price for all of this are the children. They did nothing wrong but their title has been taken away. Did the coaches have accountability to those children?
What about the accountability of the adults to those kids? Why did those adults feel they didn’t have to be accountable to those kids? Why did those adults feel they didn’t have to be accountable to Little League Baseball? Is it just a suggestion that we’re going to do things legal? Is it just a thought? If anyone else knew about the situation why didn’t they help these adults stay accountable to the children? Do we live in a society where winning at any cost is acceptable?
Regardless of the adults’ lack of accountability to those children, although they have been stripped of the title, they still have the excitement of having experienced the win as a team and the experience of being at the White House. The lack of accountability those adults displayed can’t take away the children’s moment.
It is time to send a message that we do not want to win at all costs. We want to win but we want to teach our children that being accountable is most important. When we can identify whom we are accountable to and keep that accountability then doing our best is what matters. Accountability always wins.
