“Little League World Series gives anti-cheating organization visibility - Austin American-Statesman” |
| Little League World Series gives anti-cheating organization visibility - Austin American-Statesman Posted: 14 Aug 2010 08:21 PM PDT By Genaro C. Armas ASSOCIATED PRESS Little Leaguers like to walk, talk, pitch and hit like big leaguers. Former major leaguer Dale Murphy just wants to make sure there's one way impressionable pint-sized sluggers don't imitate their heroes. In an era when steroids and drug testing make sports headlines, the two-time National League MVP is on a mission to encourage young players to avoid shortcuts through his I Won't Cheat Foundation. Founded by Murphy five years ago, the organization's message reaches its biggest audience during nationally televised games of the Little League World Series, where players wear patches on their sleeves with " I won't cheat" in bold letters. The annual 10-day tournament begins Friday in South Williamsport, Pa. "The main point I thought to make to the kids is that I know what you're thinking is that most of these guys are taking it," Murphy said. "But a lot of them aren't. Most of them aren't and you can still be a successful baseball player if you want to pursue it without taking this stuff." Though he's been out of baseball for 17 years, Murphy may be the perfect voice to spread such a message, given the clean-cut image he developed as one of the game's most feared hitters in the 1980s. He hit 398 home runs over 18 seasons, most of them with the Atlanta Braves. Murphy, who now lives in Alpine, Utah, started the organization in 2005, when performance-enhancing drugs were making news. Little League added the patch to World Series uniforms two years ago, giving the message more visibility. Murphy's foundation has expanded its message beyond the diamond to other sports, as well as to classroom and extracurricular activities. His foundation has "I won't cheat" pledges for students and young athletes to sign. The goal, he said, is to make youngsters see the long-term consequences of their decisions. "Kids, especially, they need as many people as possible to say, 'You don't want to do that. You want to do it the right way to be successful,'\u2009" Murphy said. "Kids see the short-term gain, that's kind of the challenge with all of us at any age — you see the short-term gain, you don't see the long-term consequences." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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