500 signatures reached
To: Governor Andy Beshear and Mayor Linda Gorton
Youth Baseball
The time has come to allow our youth to play baseball in the local parks. For the past six weeks, our children have been told that they won’t return to school, that they cannot play baseball (or any other sport at a local park) and that they are forbidden from interacting with any of their friends. Baseball fields have been locked and our kids have been introduced to haunting terms and phrases like “social distancing” and “quarantine.” Based (in part) on our youth making the above-referenced sacrifices, Kentucky has unquestionably succeeded in “flattening the curve” of this virus. As such, we believe that our children should be allowed to begin playing organized baseball on June 1, 2020.
Why is this important?
For those who play, youth baseball is an “essential” service. It serves a dual purpose of allowing the children to exercise while achieving the much-needed social interactions that they’ve been missing for so long. Even in the most stable of home environments, there are only so many walks that a family can take. Sadly, as many of our children do not live in stable and healthy homes, baseball provides an outlet where those kids can learn positive core values, engage in healthy risk taking while learning valuable life lessons in a safe environment. For these children, baseball provides a “safe place” where they can briefly escape their reality. Certainly, a compelling argument can be made that youth baseball is every bit as important to our children as nail/hair salons are to adults, yet the latter are scheduled to open first.
Currently, it appears that the state and local governments are basing many of their decisions on recommendations from the CDC and other national organizations. While that information is important, other (more local) information should also be considered. For good reason, the CDC’s guidance is issued to protect those cities and regions that have been most affected by Covid-19. However, it is unfair to force Lexington youth to abide by the same rules as kids in New York City as Covid-19 simply is not that prevalent here. Allowing our youth to again enjoy baseball could help these children return to a more normal existence.
All of the leagues understand that we will have to implement precautions so that everyone can enjoy baseball in a healthy and safe manner, while continuing to practice social distancing. We will happily abide by these precautions if it means we get to enjoy baseball again. Thank you for considering the above information. I am happy to answer any questions or assist in any way possible.