1. Little League Baseball® World Series
Courtney Moriarty

2. Chapter One: Organization Introduction
Little League (LL) began in PA in 1938 as a three team league
9 divisions of softball and baseball = 2.4 million athletes in 80 countries
Aim to “to "promote, develop, supervise, and voluntarily assist in all lawful ways, the interest of those who will participate in Little League® Baseball and Softball“ (LL, n.d.b., para. 1)
Little League® (LL) is one of the most prominent organizations in youth sport, hosting over 2.4 million athletes throughout 80 countries. (Beauge, 2014) From it’s humble beginnings as a three-team league in 1938, Little League® was created by Carl Stotz as a way to teach “the ideals of sportsmanship, fair play, and teamwork” (LL, n.d.a, para. 10). Originally designed for 11 and 12 year old boys, Little League® now hosts nine divisions of baseball and softball for children of all ages, as well as the Challenger division for athletes with physical and/or cognitive disabilities.

3. Chapter Two: Event Introduction (LLBWS)
10 days in Mid-Late August brings nearly 400, fans to South Williamsport, PA
Tickets and Parking are Free – revenue generated from ESPN’s Eight-year, $60M contract (Ourand, 2013) and team fees
$5.4 Million spent on Travel, Lodging, Meals for all nine World Series Tournaments in 2014 (IRS, 2014)
The main event hosted by Little League is the nine World Series Tournaments. These tournaments are part of the very few world-wide competitions and the only set that specifically showcases youth athletes. The various World Series are hosted throughout the United States, but the most well-known is the Little League Baseball® World Series, featuring teams of 11 to 12 year old children in South Williamsport each August. The tournament is 10 days long and is estimated to bring 400,000 people to the area (World Baseball Softball Confederation, 2013).
Precise attendance figures are hard to determine as tickets are free and are offered on a first come, first serve basis for all games up until the World Championship. This is made possible by Little League’s contract with ESPN to televise over 100 World Series games, including all 32 of the Little League Baseball World Series. Along with a team fee to enter post-season play, this contract allows Little League to provide airfare to and from the tournament, as well as on-campus lodging and meals for the teams and their coaching staff.

4. The World Series consists of 16 teams, eight from the United States and eight international squads. A double-elimination phase weans the teams down to four, who go into single-elimination bouts to determine the U.S. Champion and the International Champion. Those two teams play for the World Championship, while the two defeated teams play for third place (LL, 2014b).

5. Chapter Three: Marketing Plan
Product – “Game form, players, equipment/apparel, venue” (Mullin, Hardy, Sutton, 2007, p.149)
To create a sound marketing plan, one must first examine the product being marketed.
Stripped to its core, the LLBWS is merely a game of baseball – nine players take positions on the field, whilst the other team attempts to hit a pitched ball with a bat. The standard apparel is long pants, a short-sleeved jersey and cap with a brim to shield the players’ eyes from the sun. Basic necessities for equipment include a glove or mitt (a leather covering for the catching hand), bat (created from wood, or a metal composite), and a batting helmet to protect from errant pitches.

6. Baseball venues, whether in abandoned lots or luxurious stadiums, incorporate a diamond shape, at the bottom of which is “home plate” with first, second and third bases in the other corners in a counter-clockwise order. The outfield extends the first and third baselines and connects in a semi-circle. Although there are more detailed nuances to each of these components, they represent the basic makeup of any baseball game.
(J., 2015)

7. Chapter Three: Marketing Plan
Product – “Game form, players, equipment/apparel, venue” (Mullin, Hardy, Sutton, 2007, p.149)
Project Market – SWOT Analysis
With a firm grip on what is to be marketed, recognizing both helpful and harmful attributes of any company and the economy in which it stands is crucial for setting realistic and reachable goals. Using a SWOT analysis will assess both internal and external sources of growth and decline.

8. Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
Internal
- History/Brand recognition
- Lucrative television contracts
- Family-centered culture
- International relations
- Professionalization of youth athletes
- Tournament Format (U.S. vs World)
- Aging stadiums
- Gender Equality movement
- Gaining popularity in foreign countries
- Brand extensions for equipment and apparel
- Specialization in other sports
- Injury and/or burnout
- Increasing cost of equipment
- Technology takeover
Strengths
Weaknesses
Helpful
Harmful
As shown, Little League® and it’s World Series tournaments have several core assets, as well as room for growth. However, there are issues that could be rectified by the organization, as well as outside hazards that the league may not have control over but can monitor and adjust to.
Opportunities
Threats
External

9. Chapter Three: Marketing Plan
Product – “Game form, players, equipment/apparel, venue” (Mullin, Hardy, Sutton, 2007, p.149)
Project Market – SWOT Analysis
Promotion - Sponsorships
Looking outside of it’s own well-being, Little League® uses sponsorships to help market its product to the world. Little League® has had partnerships with corporate entities since its inception, when three local businesses subsidized the inaugural teams. Today, that partnership has grown to 17 National Sponsors that can be segregated into the following categories:

10. Equipment/Training Apparel Food Parent Appeal
These sponsors give varying amounts of money to Little League® to be affiliated with this well-known organization and its family-centered mission. The food vendors cater to children and in most cases, the atmosphere of baseball games. The apparel and equipment/training categories host a number of companies that create items directly needed for the tournament. Little League® also directs its sponsorship efforts towards the parents of the players, who are responsible for nearly all of the purchases made by/for their kids. These partnerships serve as open avenues for both sponsors as well as Little League® to gain new consumers based on each other’s reputations and marketable products.
(LL, 2015)

11. Chapter Four: Employee/Volunteer Planning
LLBWS is unique in that it is almost completely volunteer-driven
Low-quality Exchange Relationship
Consideration
From concessionaires and ticket takers to the umpires and field crew, people join waiting lists and fly across the country on their own accord to be a part of the magic that the LLBWS creates each August. Managing these volunteers involves a blend of task-oriented and relations-oriented skills.
Because these workers are only on site for two weeks out of a year, a low-quality exchange relationship is created. This type of employment suggests that “subordinates are only expected to perform the formal requirements of their jobs…” without any further effort (Mashud, Yukl, Prussia, 2010, p. 562). However, to build collective efficacy and entice volunteers to return year after year, Little League teach consideration – that is, display how a manager “shows concern and respect for their followers, looks out for their welfare, and expresses appreciation and support.” (Tabernero et al., 2009, p. 1394).
Using these two techniques allows Little League to create a realm where people want to help the tournament so much that they do it for no formal pay.

12. Chapter Five: Risk Management Plan
Public Liability Including Negligence
Injuries
Public Liability Excluding Negligence
Internal Practices
Business Operations
Fraud/Embezzlement
Property Exposures
Weather
Theft/Vandalism
Little League® prides itself on being proactive in providing a safe environment for its athletes and fans, and expect that each of the chapters across the globe do the same. The World Series Tournaments are subject to both business standards of practice, as well as the guidelines set forth for youth baseball and the safety of its patrons. Creating a risk management plan for any sporting event entails identifying and mitigating hazards to minimize liability for the organization. Van der Smissen (as cited in Cotton & Wolohan, 2012) described four categories of risk, each of which the LLBWS is subject to.
Little League® has been the defendant in several court cases over the long course of it’s history, including civil liberty and negligence lawsuits. Being proactive in avoiding, reducing, or transferring risk is key in minimizing loss, and the league has made considerable effort to protect itself from further litigation.

13. Chapter Six: Ethical Analysis
Commercialization of children
Unpaid Performers
Pubescent Vulnerability/Emotions
Scandals
Cheating
Embezzlement
Little League®’s penchant for safety is part of the overarching desire to be a morally just organization, to serve as a role model for the staff, participants, and other organizations. Many have disagreed with this notion, with accusations that the publicity of the LLWS is damaging to the adolescent psyche, and that the exorbitant contract fees bring a level of commercialization that goes against the original mission of Little League® (Graney, 2015). ESPN has done its part and tried to cut away from images of tearful kids (McBride, 2011) to bolster its position with skeptics, but continues to add cameras and airtime to more and more games to expand the experience to other children who do not get to make the trip to Williamsport.
Beyond the League’s operations, some of the biggest scandals surrounding youth sports involve the parents and volunteers that are supposed to be representatives of their associations. Specifically regarding the LLBWS, there have been instances of teams being stripped of titles for either age forging or falsifying residence maps. This results in children being punished for the unethical actions of their adult advocates, and reflects poorly on Little League® as a moral organization.

14. Chapter Seven: Personal Statement
Mission Statement
My goal is to foster the physical and psychological benefits of recreation, while helping others build character through sport. I aim to educate and inspire the next generation of athletes to be faster, stronger, and smarter than their predecessors.
Before this program, I was under the notion that leaders were born, not bred. After 10 courses over the last 18 months, it is now apparent that leaders are built by ambition and humility, and do not need a predetermined personality to make an impact.
Through several evaluations and self-reflections, I have become aware of my personal traits and subconscious biases, which allowed me to build a foundation for my development plan.
Beyond the immediate future, this program has further prepared me for a career in athletics by honing my active listening skills, as well as provided a broader base of understanding of business finance, marketing and legal aspects. In addition to my educational development, my time spent at Concordia has gifted me with the camaraderie of a dozen bright, ambitious individuals with whom I now have the pleasure of networking with and continually learning from. My cohorts will go on to lead in areas very different than the path I have chosen, and I will be able to gain insight and further develop my skills from their experiences.

15. References In the Notes Section
Beauge, J. (2014, September 26). Little League baseball, softball participation decline continues...with one exception. PennLive - The Patriot News. Retrieved from
Cotton, D. & Wolohan, J. (2013). Law for Recreation and Sport Managers, 6th Ed. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
Graney, E. (2015, June 12). Banner can’t hide truth about the Little League® World Series. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved from
Internal Revenue Service. (2014). Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. Retrieved from 
J., M. (2015, May 10). Baseball positions.svg. Retrieved from
Little League® Baseball (LL). (n.d.a). History of Little League®. Retrieved from
LL. (n.d.b). The mission of Little League®. Retrieved from
LL National Sponsors. Retrieved from
LL. (2014a). Annual Report. Retrieved from Assets/forms_pubs/2015/da/ year-in-review.pdf
LL. (2014b). World Series media guide. Retrieved from
Mashud, R., Yukl, G., & Prussia, G. (2010). Leader empathy, ethical leadership, and relations-oriented behaviors as antecedents of leader-member exchange quality. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 25(6), DOI /
McBride, K. (2011, August 26). Boys do cry: ESPN's approach to LLWS. Poynter Review
Project Blog. Retrieved from
Ourand, J. (2013, August 26). ESPN completes deal to lock up LLWS through ’22. SportsBusiness Journal 16(19). Retrieved from com/Journal/Issues/2013/08/26.aspx
Tabernero, C., Chambel, M., Curral, L., & Arana, J. M. (2009). The Role of Task-Oriented
Versus Relationship-Oriented Leadership On Normative Contract And Group
Performance. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 37(10), 1391-
1404.
World Baseball Softball Confederation. (August 19, 2013). Baseball stages biggest youth club sports event for boys and girls, highlights growing global appeal of baseball and softball for young people in bid for Olympic Games inclusion. Retrieved from