Vienna Little League on a Losing Streak

George Mason University Friderike Butler
SOCI 303 – Dr. Mark Jacobs
December 2, 2012
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Vienna Little League on a Losing Streak:
A study of possible factors for declining little league baseball enrollment as an indicator for changing cultural preferences and values in the Town of Vienna

An American icon in the tide of change
Baseball has long been a cherished recreational activity and an integral part of American life and culture. Over time, many baseball terms have become main stream idiomatic expressions in U.S. English, such as something is “in the ballpark” when an action or results fall within commonly accepted and expected boundaries or someone is asked to “step up to the plate” to take status-changing action. In many respects, baseball can be seen as a metaphoric reflection of American cultural and social values. Take for example the many variations of the beloved story of the unassuming underdog baseball player who rises to fame or the disjointed team that manages to rally and win a highly coveted championship trophy, or the notion that there is hope until the very end because “anything can happen in baseball” . Numerous American classics such as The Bad News Bears (1976), The Sandlot (1993), and Perfect Game (2000) build their coming of age stories around baseball as the quintessential American boyhood experience. Why is it then that the love for little league baseball seems to be waning in the small town of Vienna, Virginia?
Vienna’s little league proudly celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2012. On a less positive note, however, the organization has experienced a significant decline in registrations over the past decade. As a result, Vienna Little League, Inc. (VLL) decided in 2011 to convert from a three-league system back to a two-league system. The decline in enrollment seems perplexing considering that the town’s population has been growing steadily over the last decade. Significantly declining VLL registration numbers raise concerns with respect to the financing of single-use recreational facilities such as the 4 baseball parks managed by VLL in the Town of Vienna as well as the extent and focus of future public and private investment in community facilities and services. Is VLL dealing with a short-term phenomenon or a long-term trend? The identification of contributing factors of the current enrollment trend is important to enable VLL to proactively address the issue, find possible solutions to counter-act the declining enrollment, and manage their resources appropriately today and with an eye toward the future.
This study considers ethnic and cultural diversification, socio-economics, and last by not least baseball’s appeal to today’s generation of parents and children as contributing factors for the declining VLL enrollment numbers with special focus on the years between 2000 and 2010. The research is based on quantitative data analysis, interviews, and field observations.
Brief history of Vienna Little League
Table [ 1 ]: Census data for population in Vienna, VA, Social Explorer 2012, VLL enrollment numbers obtained from Opening Day programs and the VLL commissioner, Brian Smith
Table 1: Census data for population in Vienna, VA, Social Explorer 2012, VLL enrollment numbers obtained from Opening Day programs and the VLL commissioner, Brian Smith
Vienna Little League was founded in 1952 and started its first season with about 160 players at Glyndon Park. A new little league ballpark was commissioned in 1959 and relocated in 1962 to its current location which now features a total of 3 baseball diamonds, batting cages, and a snack bar and is known in the community as Yeonas Ball Park. In response to the increasing popularity of the program, VLL purchased over 6000 acres along Old Courthouse Road in 1966 to build additional baseball fields and in the following year, VLL adjusted its structure from two to three leagues. Just 4 years later, each of the three leagues within Vienna Little League spanned a six-team system, which ranged from Single A (6-7 year olds) through Majors (12-13 year olds). In 1990, VLL’s budget surpassed $100,000 with most of the money spent on equipment and field maintenance. In 1995, VLL completed a major renovation of Yeonas Ball Park costing about $750,000. VLL reached a peak in player registration in 2000 resulting in 3 leagues and a total of 24 teams across T-Ball, A, AA, AAA and Majors levels with a total of 1250 kids playing baseball in Vienna Little League .
The fact that VLL experienced its highest enrollment numbers in history in 2000 when the total town population reached its lowest point after 1970 is surprising.
While the general town population and particularly the elementary and middle school population experienced a growth spurt after 2000, for the first time in its history, VLL registration numbers on the other hand decreased noticeably. In 2012, VLL reverted back to a two-league system in time to start the spring season with an enrollment of a little more than 1000 players. The downward trend of enrollment is “of concern to VLL, and more importantly, we do not foresee getting back to the 2006 numbers” states current VLL Table [ 2 ]: Baseball player numbers derived from VLL Opening Day programs from 2000-2011; total male student enrollment K-8th grade in the Town of Vienna district based on www.schooldigger.com
Table 2: Baseball player numbers derived from VLL Opening Day programs from 2000-2011; total male student enrollment K-8th grade in the Town of Vienna district based on www.schooldigger.com
American League president, Jitendra Joshi. In 2006, VLL had experienced a brief resurgence of interest, but since then, enrollment has steadily decreased.
Globalization and diversification in the Town of Vienna
In order to analyze and understand the causes for the decline in VLL enrollment, I looked for obvious changes in the community, starting with the ethnic make-up of the town. The Town of Vienna has strong traditional roots grounded in its past as a rural small-town community. Over the last 60 years, the town’s demographics have changed significantly due to the increase in population density and the continuous development of commercial and residential zones in the surrounding areas. The urban flight of the white middle class in the 1950ies and 1960ies created predominantly white “bedroom communities” in the suburbs, Vienna being one of them . Between 1950 and 1970, Vienna grew from 1200 residents in a rural setting to a bustling small town with almost 17,000 residents, and VLL grew with it (see Table 1, page 3).
Table 2: Census data from 1970 indicate a 5% ethnic diversification in the Town of Vienna
Table 2: Census data from 1970 indicate a 5% ethnic diversification in the Town of Vienna
1970 census data show a rather homogenous white population with a small African American community. A change in U.S. immigration policy through the 1965 Immigration Act, which abandoned the previous quota system favoring white Northern European immigrants over other nationalities, resulted in a noticeable wave of Asian immigrants in the early 1970ies.
Table 3: Census data from 2000 indicate a 21% ethnic diversification in the Town of Vienna
Table 3: Census data from 2000 indicate a 21% ethnic diversification in the Town of Vienna
Of particular interest to this study is that the total population in Vienna started to decrease after 1970 while ethnic diversification was increasing at a fast pace reaching a ratio of over 21% by 2000. Surprisingly, VLL experienced continuous growth during the same period and enrollment peaked in 2000. Moreover, the increasing diversification in the town of Vienna was and is not at all reflected within the ranks of VLL, which shows mostly Caucasian players on the team pictures in all Opening Day programs throughout its 60-year history.
My observations during the spring baseball seasons from 2008 to 2012 and the 2012 fall ball season confirm this persistent lack of diversification within the ranks of VLL. The vast majority of little league baseball players are indeed Caucasian with a very small number of African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Indian players. Most foreign-born parents of VLL players whom I encountered during my involvement with VLL had an American spouse. In most such cases, the mother was foreign-born and the father had American roots. The limited timeframe of this research project did not allow for a detailed survey to collect relevant data to be able to analyze the ethnic and cultural make-up of VLL parents. The above statement rests on observations only.
One team that I observed more closely during the 2012 fall ball season was comprised of one African-American family, three mixed families in which the wives were respectively born in Puerto Rico, India, and Germany, one Korean family in which the husband went to school in the United States when he was young, and seven all-American-born families. Of the 12 families, five fathers were actively involved in coaching the team and/or managing the games. During personal conversations with these and other VLL parents, I learned that in addition to enjoying baseball as a sport during their own childhood, the parents thought that the boys were learning important life lessons on the field and that baseball was an important part of American culture which they wanted to pass on to their children.
During my direct interaction with more than 70 families during Little League baseball games between 2008 and 2012, I only recall talking with two fathers who were born outside of the United States. The families whose children are playing Little League baseball in Vienna are therefore not representative of the current level of ethnic diversity in the town of Vienna. VLL American League president Jitendra Joshi is painfully aware of the absence of ethnically and culturally diverse players at VLL and confirmed my observations in his 2011 report to VLL:
“Of the 15 Majors teams in 2011, only two players were of Indian origin and there were less than 40 players who were non-Whites. Thus, the changing demographics within the boundaries of VLL have worked against baseball registrations in VLL. We have reached out to minority communities in an attempt to foster more interest in VLL. Our efforts have met with minimal success.”
Table 4: Census data from 2010 indicate a 25% ethnic diversification in the Town of Vienna
Table 4: Census data from 2010 indicate a 25% ethnic diversification in the Town of Vienna
Since the increasing ethnic diversification in the town is not reflected in the players’ pool and VLL grew in spite of an increase in ethnic diversity until 2000, the relatively small increase in further ethnic diversification between 2000 and 2010 (less than 5%) is therefore unlikely to have played a major role in the declining VLL enrollment.
I then further analyzed the ethnic diversity of elementary school and middle school boys, mainly to isolate the number of Caucasian boys in order to track the numbers of this subgroup over the last decade and to compare them with the VLL enrollment trend. Table 5 shows that the number of Caucasian male K-8th grade students has remained fairly constant during the last decade. Ethnic diversification of the town population as a major reason for declining VLL enrollment can therefore be ruled out.

Table 5: Baseball player numbers derived from VLL Opening Day programs from
2000-2011;
student enrollment: www.schooldigger.com
Table 5: Baseball player numbers derived from VLL Opening Day programs from
2000-2011;
student enrollment: www.schooldigger.com

As a test for the impact of cultural diversification of the town population on VLL enrollment, I also analyzed ACS data on foreign-born individuals. Even though this group overlaps with ethnic minorities, it differs in the fact that it also includes foreign-born Caucasians that are part of the Caucasian count in Table 5. This secondary test is relevant because most foreign-born individuals do not have any direct cultural relationship with baseball. Families with non-American roots are therefore less likely to enroll their children in little league baseball since most are unfamiliar with the game and the important role little league baseball plays in American communities. Thus, a significant increase in the foreign-born population in Vienna between 2000 and 2010 could thereby theoretically affect the pool of likely enrollees within the main potential VLL participant group. The 2005-2009 ACS indicates that more than 1 in 4 Vienna residents were born outside of the United States, which indeed presents an extraordinarily large number of people with non-American roots. However, a comparison of 2000 census data and the 2005-2009 ACS data indicates an increase of only 5-8% of foreign-born residents in Vienna after 2000; by itself this increase is not significant enough to explain the drop in VLL enrollment. While it certainly is regrettable that VLL has not been able to attract diverse little league baseball players over the years, the relative lack of a direct correlation between ethnic as well as cultural diversity and VLL enrollment suggests that factors other than ethnic and cultural differences play a more significant role in the declining enrollment numbers. Changing socio-economic realities
The second factor I analyzed for this study relates to socio-economic changes in Vienna and their potential effect on little league baseball enrollment.
Terrence Belt, a residential real estate agent who has lived and worked in Vienna for more than 20 years, has been involved in Vienna Little League as a coach from 2005 to 2010 and has personally witnessed the declining number of little league baseball players. Aside from the growing number of foreign nationals moving to this area, he suggests that a market-driven socio-economic shift toward significantly higher costs of living may also play a role in dropping enrollment numbers. Belt explains that newcomers to the area are mostly families with children looking for proximity to places of work, shopping, food, excellent schools, and cultural events. Unfortunately, this convenience of location now comes with a hefty price tag. While a decent single-family home with 3 to 4 bedrooms could still be purchased for less than $250,000 in the early 1990ies, the current asking price for a small, dated rambler may start at $500,000 with most new single-family homes selling close to or above the $1 million mark. This significantly increased cost of living often requires both parents to work full-time to be able to afford to move to Vienna.
Belt’s observations are backed by Labor Bureau statistics, which report a growing number of dual-income families. In 1970, dual-earner couples made up 39 percent of all married couples with children. 2006 U.S. Census Bureau data indicates that 76% of households had two or more income earners falling into the top quintile with annual incomes exceeding $91,200, which is still far below the median family income of $122,189 in Fairfax County in 2010. It is therefore reasonable to draw the conclusion that the majority of new families moving to Vienna are comprised of dual-income families. Consequently, with both parents working full-time, it is more difficult to support a child’s participation in a highly time-intensive activity such as little league baseball, which usually requires 5-6 scheduled 1.5- to 3-hour events per week at various locations throughout town. The significant increase in enrollment in other sports such as soccer and lacrosse for example (see Table 7), may in part be culturally influenced since soccer is a popular sport played in many countries around the globe, but it may also be a reflection of time and scheduling constraints experienced by dual-earner families. From a busy parent’s perspective, an average time commitment of 2-3 events per week each lasting about 1.5-2 hours for sports like soccer and lacrosse is simply easier to support, and the enrollment numbers for these sports indeed indicate a growing popularity. -11%
-11%
+18.7%
+18.7%
+27%
+27%

Table 7: Enrollment trend in soccer, lacrosse, and baseball in Vienna from 2006 to 2011
From personal experience and in talking with other VLL parents, I found that the majority of the families involved in VLL have one stay-at-home or work-at-home parent, or at least one parent who has flexible work hours, for example due to self-employment or flex-time work, or a parent whose work schedule coincides with school hours.
Again, the underrepresentation of a considerable subgroup of residents, in this case families with both parents working full-time outside of the home, is an indication of the existence of a possible deterrent to become involved in little league baseball for a certain demographic. More significant than unfamiliarity with the sport, the barrier of entry in this case may be simple a scheduling issue. A qualitative survey of families with both parents working outside of the home or single working parents would be required to support this claim substantively. Without such a study, one can simply assume that many parents are opting for after-school activities for their children that are less time-consuming than baseball and easier to fit into a busy schedule, such as a sport with fewer practices and game times or in-school/school-affiliated programs.
Competition through academic programs
Jody Smith, one of the PTA committee chairpersons at Vienna Elementary School, confirms an increasing interest in school-based afternoon programs. In addition to providing working parents with accommodating options for meaningful afternoon activities for their children, Smith believes that in general more emphasis is placed on academic-oriented activities nowadays than in the past. She sees that for example in the rising popularity of afternoon science classes and chess programs that are always filled at maximum capacity with a strikingly high percentage of Asian and Indian students. She also points out the high popularity of school-based foreign language programs at the elementary school level, most often attended by children of foreign-born parents.
The relatively recent expansion of non-school based science and merit programs may therefore be adversely impacting little league enrollment in that these types of programs offer an alternative for children’s after-school activities. The First Lego League robotics and team achievement competition is one such example. This private volunteer initiative sponsored by Lego© has grown from about 200 elementary school and middle school teams in Virginia in 2009 to more than 600 teams in 2012. However, is interesting to note that Caucasian participants are far outnumbered by predominantly Indian and Asian teams, confirming a clear cultural difference in priorities with respect to children’s activities. These types of programs show where many of the children, who traditionally have been unlikely candidates for little league baseball, spend their time.

A shrinking island of Americana
Based on these findings, it seems that VLL is in fact loosing potential players within their own traditional ranks. The state of little league in Vienna is in part confirmed and expanded upon by a national study published in the Wall Street Journal. The report claims that today’s generation of children has been losing interest in baseball at a rate of 24% between 2000 and 2009. The article suggests that this lack of interest is due to a contemporary preference for faster moving and more exciting sports such as soccer, lacrosse, and hockey. The result is a steadily decreasing pool of potential little league baseball players. As the pool of traditional contestants for VLL is shrinking due to this perceived lack of interest as well as scheduling conflicts, the notion that non-Caucasian as well as foreign-born and non-American parents are less likely to enroll their children in baseball is certainly not helping VLL’s situation.
The research for this paper indicates that the make-up of the pool of town residents is changing significantly towards a much higher degree of ethnic and cultural diversity and experiencing a significant increase in the cost of living with respect to housing resulting in a higher number of dual-income families. Baseball as a staple of iconic American past-time activity is challenged by an intensified interest in activities that are less time intensive, enjoy higher international popularity and are faster paced or are more focused on scholarly activities. In light of this glooming picture, VLL now needs to “step up to the plate” to account for and respond creatively to the distinct changes and challenges in the local community, especially as the sport is losing ground at the national level as well.
Possible solutions could be specially designed outreach programs to generate interest in currently under-represented groups. Pointing out the importance of a team experience and community integration for developing boys, offering small-group novice clinics, and promoting a culturally inclusive image may assist in overcoming cultural barriers. In addition, the game may become more interesting for children if some of the rules would be changed that are currently slowing down the game, particularly at the little league level. Some of the current little league coaches propose implementing a no-walk rule and requiring a coach pitch after 3 unsuccessful attempts by the pitcher in order to improve the pace of the game. With the help of today’s technological advances, an online carpool scheduling tool may help families manage complex afternoon practice schedules. Another option may be offering school-based baseball practices and school-based teams to eliminate the need for transportation for children who are attending public school afternoon care-programs because both parents are working.
Times are certainly changing and so are families’ priorities. Unscheduled child-led pick-up baseball games, as so nostalgically described in The Sandlot, are a part of the past without a likely comeback. The question is whether Little League baseball as an organization is willing and able to adapt to these changes in order to address the new undercurrents of American life as the next generations of children are experiencing it. What is more troublesome to me, however, than the confirmed declining interest in little league baseball, and what this research project brought to light, is that recreational activities of children in an ethnically diverse town such as Vienna seem to be surprisingly segregated. The findings of this research project invite more extensive studies of cultural shifts in the American way of life in small towns and the exploration of cultural barriers in America. Further research may be helpful for the development of strategies to overcome such barriers and to promote more culturally interactive, inclusive community dynamics – possibly even using an overhauled little league baseball program as a community builder.

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[ 1 ]. Telephone interview with Terence Belt, April 21, 2012
[ 2 ]. Interview with Jody S. on April 19, 2012