Play Ball? - 2EmECTIONS ON-Y &ATHER’S 9OUTH "ASEBALL %XPERIENCES AND 7HY 4HEY-ATTER

Oct 15, 2026

A study-style article examines how youth baseball has shifted from free, unstructured neighborhood play toward an organized youth-league model, drawing on the author’s late father’s autobiographical reminiscences from “nine innings” of baseball. After defining the essence of play, it argues that cultural and social changes—rationalization, suburban sprawl, and altered child-development philosophies—have nearly extinguished the playfulness of youth baseball, affecting both the sport’s future and children’s growth, development, and health.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Essence of Play

Play Ball? 2EmECTIONS ON-Y &ATHER􀀇S 9OUTH "ASEBALL %XPERIENCES AND 7HY 4HEY-ATTER s Jay C. Kimiecik 􀂆e author uses his father’s autobiographical writings about the small-town, baseball experiences of his youth as background for discussing the signi􀂇cant cultural shi􀂈s that have dramatically changed the nature of the game from a free-play experience for neighborhood kids to an organized youth-league sport. In contrast to his father’s day, the author claims that the playfulness of youth baseball has become nearly extinct. A􀂈er a brief overview to de􀂇ne the essence of play, the author explains how his father’s kind offree, unstructured, deliberate play has been diminished by complex cultural and social shi􀂈s such as rationalization, suburban sprawl, and changing child-development philosophies. He concludes that the continual decline these forces have created in free play will not only signi􀂇cantlyin􀂉uence the future of baseball as a sport but also the quality of children’s growth, development, and health. Keywords: changes in children’s free play; sandlot baseball; unstructured play; youth baseball Introduction In the spring of 1991, John J. Kimiecik, my late father, wrote a series of reminiscences about his life’s journey through “nine innings” of baseball called“Touching All the Bases” for a local newspaper. In this series of eleven stories, beginning with a section entitled “Warm-up” and ending with one called “Extra Innings,” my father revisits his baseball experiences from youth to adulthood. He writes: “􀂆e journey—a kind of a game—will be ‘played’ in nine innings. 􀂆ose innings will touch on items ranging from equipment, ball 􀂇elds, the players, to disbanded teams and leagues and perhaps a few other hot-stove topics. Although this is my look back, many of you will see yourselves and relive your own similar experiences.”1 My rereading of these recently republished stories in Touching All the Bases, Places, and Faces served as the catalyst for this article on play and baseball,2 and 379 American Journal of Play, volume 8, number 3 © 􀂆e Strong Contact [Jay Kimiecik at kimiecjc@miamioh.edu](Jay Kimiecik at kimiecjc@miamioh.edu) my father’s recounting in the early sections—innings—of his youth baseball experiences prior to high school serves as the primary background. 􀂆e 􀂇rst innings focus on the baseball game itself, baseball equipment, 􀂇elds, and 􀂇nallyon playing hooky from school to attend a Brooklyn Dodgers game with his friend, Bosco. Later innings of his memoir describe his playing and coaching experiences in Florida, New York, with the Legion Post 1250, the Florida Comets, and the Seward Spartans (the local high school baseball team) . To demonstrate how deeply ingrained “Kimiecik” was in the local baseball scene, four Kimieciks made the Seward starting line-up in 1948 when the newspaper headline read:“Kimiecik [my uncle Rudy] stops Valley String at 36 as Paulmen [Alex Paul was the coach’s name] Win 2nd Straight.”3 My father played catcher in that game. John J. Kimiecik was born in the winter of 1933, in the middle of the Great Depression. During his youth, he and his older brothers helped his Polish American family raise onions in the fertile black dirt on the outskirts of Florida, a rural Hudson Valley village about sixty miles north of New York City. Other than a two-year stint in the U.S. Marines and one year of teaching in upstate New York, he lived out his life in his hometown and taught English at Seward for twentynine years before retiring in 1988. He then wrote hundreds of articles for local newspapers about Seward’s sports teams, its local history, and its small-town life. Before I delve into my father’s youth baseball stories and their connection to play, let’s take a look at the nature of play itself. The Essence of Play One central aspect of play involves freedom. People choose to play of their own freewill. When they play, they feel free. In Homo Ludens, Dutch philologist Johan Hui

FAQs

What source does the article use to discuss youth baseball experiences?

It uses the author’s late father’s autobiographical reminiscences about small-town baseball from his youth, originally written for a local newspaper series.

How does the article define the essence of play?

It emphasizes freedom, voluntary participation, intrinsic motivation, and “flow” states characterized by focused concentration and deep absorption.

Why does the author argue youth baseball play has declined?

The author attributes the decline to cultural and social shifts such as rationalization, suburban sprawl, and changing child-development philosophies that reduce free, unstructured play.

Oct 15, 2026

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