Every Monday during our post-lunch "siesta story" at summer camp I talk about the Dominican Republic.  The story is about the country in general and its people's daily struggle with poverty, the version of baseball that the kids there are forced to play without any basic equipment or resources, the many trips that I took down there with my buddy's "Beisbol y Libros" program, and how we in Palos Verdes can help the Dominican ballplayers through our extremely successful annual equipment donation drive.

One aspect of the story that I think always blows my campers' minds is that until age 14 or 15 there is basically zero adult involvement in baseball down there. Organized baseball doesn't really exist outside of the MLB academies that are designed solely to develop potential professional talent, so kids of Little League age really only play "pick up baseball."

There are no coaches, no lineups, no umpires, no scorekeepers, no snack shacks, no all-stars, no standings, no Opening Day, no cookouts, and no League Board because there is no league.  The kids just figure everything out on their own and play.  You can certainly make the case that what the kids play down there is baseball in the purest sense of the game.

While it might be pure, it's certainly not ideal.  I know those kids would love to have a coach throw them batting practice, or an adult give them pitching advice, or have league uniforms to wear, or parents to drag and water the field so they don't get any bad hops.  But they don't.

As a result of circumstance and the lack of structural baseball organization, the kids in the DR play, despite not having so much as basic equipment, with complete freedom and joy - it's literally the only reason they play.  
Here in the States, the youth baseball experience is very different.  Everything is extremely organized starting in tee ball, there is tremendous involvement from adults (which is usually a positive thing, but not always), leagues start keeping score at age 7 or younger, all-star teams start forming at the same time, kids have the best equipment and fields available, and access to year-round professional coaching.  (I should note that this is true now a days for all sports, in all parts of America).

As a result of this, our kids (my son included) are extremely well coached, have beautiful fields, and brand new uniforms every season, but sometimes lose the opportunity to just play.  And by that I don't necessarily mean just play while being free from the pressures of winning a championship or making All-Stars, but I mean just play and have the opportunity to figure some things out on their own.

Baseball isn't football or basketball where there are a lot of plays drawn up - the game is completely unpredictable on a pitch-by-pitch basis - and when we over-coach by sometimes micro-managing every aspect of the game for them, they lose some of their ability to be reactive and instinctual.  

And with the scoreboard turned on and everyone watching the standings on a daily basis throughout the season, it's too easy for our kids to miss out on the joy of just playing.

Is 1 version of the 2 baseball worlds I just described better than the other?  I don't think so.  There are upsides and downsides to both.  

I wouldn't want Maddux growing up in a baseball world with zero structure or parental involvement or coaching, but I also don't want him growing up in a baseball world where he doesn't have the freedom to just play, or make mistakes on his own, or where he feels too many external pressures of winning and losing at a young age.

Do I want him to love the game purely and feel independence from adults when he's between the lines? Of course. But do I always want him learn the correct mechanics and have people to look up to? You bet.

It is through my own baseball journey as a player and coach being exposed to both the Dominican world of youth baseball and the American world of youth baseball that I have come to believe that the optimal youth sports experience for kids lies somewhere in between the two.

That's why Summer Camp and Fall Ball (the two opportunities I have to create exactly what type of environment and experience I want for the kids) tries really hard to take the best parts of both worlds while leaving out the worst parts.

We work really hard on skill development and teaching fundamentals.  But we don't keep score in games.   

We work really hard on making sure the lineups and playing time are fair.  But we don't give out awards for highest batting average or lowest ERA.  

We work really hard to be positive adult role models for the kids.  But we don't put results-based pressure on them that can rob them of the joy of playing.  

Should youth sports be a complete free-for-all with no structure or guidance or organization or parental involvement?  Absolutely not.  But should it be a win-at-all costs, be terrified of making a mistake, never learn anything on your own, hyper-competitive pipeline to make the High School team starting as soon as kids put on a uniform for the first time?  Also, absolutely not.

PLAY HARD, but HAVE FUN!