"AN INVESTMENT IN AMERICA'S YOUTH"
FACT SHEET
The American Legion is committed to America's youth, which is why we have sponsored American Legion Baseball since 1925. The goals of American Legion Baseball are the development of team discipline, individual character and leadership development qualities in young people.
American Legion Baseball is the oldest and largest, nationwide teenage baseball program in America. American Legion Baseball became a National program in 1925. Over ten million teenagers have played American Legion Baseball since its 1925. The first National Championship tournament was held in 1926.
100,000 players, ages 15 to 19, participated in 2008. Since 1985, over 1,900 new teams have registered to play American Legion Baseball. Local American Legion Posts also support and sponsor some 2,500 younger-age teams who are registered with Little League, Babe Ruth, Pony, Dixie as well as many other youth sports teams such as soccer, bowling, hockey, etc.
On an average, 52 percent of Major League Baseball players played American Legion Baseball as teenagers. Nearly 70 percent of all college players played American Legion Baseball as teenagers.
Since 1926, Major League Baseball has honored The American Legion World Series Champions at the Major League World Series. The Commissioner's Office annually presents a plaque to The American Legion Champions on the field at The Major League World Series. The 2008 National Championship team, from Las Vegas, Nevada attended the MLWS in Tampa Bay, FLand was presented the Commissioner's Award.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum honors the American Legion Player of the Year with a plaque at the annual induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York. The 2007 American Legion Player of the Year, Blaine Drozd, was honored at the 2008 Hall of Fame game.
The American Legion National Headquarters spends approximately $1 million dollars annually to operate and host 64 teams that qualify for the National Tournament. Each year, 1,280 players and coaches on 64 teams compete at eight Regional Tournaments.
All National Tournaments are double-elimination tournaments, held over a five-day period. Attendance averages 75,000 paid admissions for the eight Regional Tournament sites and 30,000 paid admissions at the World Series Tournament.
The American Legion is the only amateur youth baseball program that funds 100 percent of the cost for hotels, transportation, meals, umpires and baseballs for our National tournaments.
Major League Baseball has supported our program annually since 1926 and currently contributes $40,000 (3 percent of the National budget), which helps offset tournament expenses for American Legion teams at Regional and World Series Tournaments.
Across the country, The American Legion's 2.5 million members have been, and remain committed to, this nation's youth. Our records confirm that 14,000 local Posts of The American Legion raised more than $25 million last year to conduct programs for young people in the respective communities, an impressive amount that pales by comparison to the time, talent and effort given by our volunteers to the young people of America. American Legion Baseball is just one of several major youth programs sponsored by The American Legion as an investment in America's young people.
