There’s no place like...
Staten Island. Especially when it comes to our youth sports scene, most notably our local Little Leagues. No, it’s not quite Friday nights in Texas, but our little borough boasts some of the most passionate fans, dedicated coverage, and state of the art athletic facilities -- each of which rival some of the best in the nation.
It’s easy to forget that, though. We’ve been spoiled by watching our kids at Little Leagues like Great Kills or Snug Harbor with their immaculate turf fields. Heck, South Shore even has a whole stadium! Next year, Mid-Island will have a brand new turf field and the rest of the borough’s leagues are in solid shape, to boot.
The games come with the pomp and circus of a professional atmosphere. They are typically covered by veteran reporters and captured in photos by skilled photographers, which eventually appear in the local newspaper (small plug). Many of the games are even livestreamed now, too.
It wasn’t until covering last week’s Eastern Regional softball tournament at Snug Harbor LL that I, myself, realized just how advanced our local youth sports ecosphere has become. The 10 out-of-state teams were in amazement at the show Staten Island put on for them -- even with no borough teams involved. Public address announcers introducing players and coaches? Reporters interviewing 10-year-old players after games? A live-stream broadcast of the entire tourney on YouTube? These are not norms in most areas around the countr.