**GREAT READ** Berlin AA is incredibly thankful to those who step up to the plate every year or for the first time ever. Or the people who don't even have a kid on the team, but still put the time in to coach! THANK YOU. On the flip side, it gets more difficult each year to find volunteers - which is truly sad for our youth.

Where Have All the Coaches Gone?

I remember my old coach, he would come from work still wearing his suit and tie, okay lets go boys , lets put on a show, practice or game he inspired us to do our best in everything we did.

If practice was on a thursday he would treat us all to a hotdog and soda after practice . You don’t forget a guy like that .

Once upon a time, every dad wanted to coach his kid’s Little League team. In the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, it was almost a given—if your kid played baseball or softball, you were out there with a clipboard, throwing BP, and lining the field before the game. Back then, it wasn’t a question of if someone would step up. It was a matter of who got there first.

Now? It’s a different story.

Ask for volunteers, and you’ll hear the same excuses over and over again:

• “I’m too busy.”

• “I don’t know enough about baseball.”

• “I just want to watch my kid play.”

• “Let someone else do it.”

So, what’s changed?

Maybe it’s because youth sports have gotten more serious, with year-round travel ball and parents thinking their 10-year-old needs a former D1 coach to teach them how to hit. Maybe it’s the fear of dealing with overbearing parents who act like every game is the World Series. Or maybe people just aren’t willing to give back the way past generations did.

Whatever the reason, youth sports is hurting because of it.

Great coaches aren’t just the ones with baseball/softball knowledge—they’re the ones who teach kids how to play the right way, how to be good teammates, how to win and lose with class. The ones who make sure the game stays fun.

So, to the parents sitting in their chairs behind the fence, waiting for someone else to step up—remember this: youth sports only works if people are willing to give their time.

Because if nobody does? One day, there won’t be a game left to watch.