Little League Should Be About Kids, Not Campaigns
-Special to the PlacerDems Blog by Neva Parker, Candidate for State Assembly District 5
The Sacramento Bee published an article this morning, entitled Campaign-funded banner pulled from Rocklin field — did it break Little League rules?
It covered the community's concern over Assembly Member Joe Patterson's sponsorship of the Rocklin Little League, which was paid for by his campaign. Parents were upset about politics being allowed by the League, that his signs violated rules that govern both the League and non-profits, and that his signs were remarkably similar to his campaign signs. Here are the two signs for reference. In the article Joe insists they're different signs. I'll let you decide.
Joe's campaign sign prior to being elected
The signage related to his sponsorship of the Rocklin Little League.
I wrote an opinion piece in response, but the Bee declined to print it. Below is what would have been published.
Little League Should Be About Kids, Not Campaigns
By Neva Parker
Little League was a huge part of my childhood. I started playing softball when I was eight. My main position was catcher, although I could play shortstop or third base if they needed me to. Most evenings and Saturdays were spent at the ballfield. When I was 13, my team made it to the Western Regionals, and we were one game away from the softball Little League World Series. I even learned how to drive in the field’s parking lot.
If you ever played little league or any sport for that matter, you know it’s about so much more than the game. It’s where kids learn teamwork and build confidence and fortitude. It’s where I learned to win with humility and lose with dignity. It’s also where families come together, and neighbors sit side by side, shouting encouragement to their kids and anger at the umpires.
According to an article in the Sacramento Bee, Campaign-funded banner pulled from Rocklin field — did it break Little League rules? parents with the Rocklin Little League expressed concern that a sign from the Joe Patterson for Assembly campaign violated the rules that govern both Little League and non-profits. The sign was there as part of his campaign-funded sponsorship, just as it would be for any other business doing the same.
Before I dive in, I want to be clear about something. Financially supporting youth sports is a good thing. Our leagues depend on that support. In a Facebook post about it, Patterson himself said he hopes his contribution “greatly benefits access to its programs and keeps costs reasonable,” and I hope so, too. And although the Sacramento Bee Article didn’t report any aggressive interactions as the Assembly Member did in his post, if that did happen, then that’s not okay. That’s not who we are as a community.
In the article, the Assembly Member is quoted as saying his sponsorship is “very standard.” But that glosses over something particularly important: Little League and non-profit rules notwithstanding, a local business putting up a sign is different than a political candidate or elected official doing the same, especially during an active campaign.
We live in a growing community. And with that comes new ideas and different perspectives. We also live during a time when our political climate has led to increasing distrust and heightened emotions. A political candidate and elected official sponsoring anything may be standard, but political signage in this space isn’t. People are keenly aware of the political undercurrents that affect all our relationships. So, when confronted with political signage of any sort, what was just parents united in watching their kids play a game, becomes parents distracted over who they can trust.
Little League is a place where people from all over our community can come together without politics getting in the way. In his Facebook post, Patterson wrote that he would be “freakin’ pumped” if Joe Biden sponsored a league. Maybe that’s true for him. But it’s just as likely that other families would feel uncomfortable in that situation, too.
Our politics is burdened now with a deeply rooted tribalism that has conditioned us to automatically organize people into a friend or enemy the minute anything remotely political pops up. We need places where we can be free from that.
And that’s really the point. We already have plenty of places in which to engage in politics, especially on social media. Let Little League be about the kids. Let it be about socks that are perpetually stained orange, and blazing hot bleachers. Let Little League be about kids making friendships, learning important life skills, and just being with their families.
-Special to the PlacerDems Blog by Neva Parker, Candidate for State Assembly District 5. Neva is endorsed by the California Democratic Party and Placer County Democratic Party.
