The last few months of summer are often the most grueling times to be an avid sports fan.
By the end of June, the majority of major college and professional sports have ended in the midst of fireworks and confetti as the respective champions are crowned.
The sports world seems to stand still as the country anxiously awaits autumn leaves and football season.
Sports junkies suffering from withdrawals turn to ESPN in hopes that the worldwide leader in sports will fill the void with a familiar rush of athletic competition.
ESPN responds by shoving Little League Baseball down our throats.
From regional play to the Little League World Series, ESPN and its announcers drone ad nauseum about Little League’s greatness.
Granted, I believe that LLB serves as a great vehicle for kids to learn the game of baseball, and the LLWS provides its participants with a lifetime of memories.
If ESPN were to solely provide coverage for the World Series portion of the tournament and not the regionals, I’d be a supporter. After all, it would fulfill the wishes of many aspiring baseball players who dream of playing on television.
However, I do not believe that the product of baseball in Little League is good enough to receive around-the-clock coverage.
This is no fault of the 12-year-old players who are beginning to learn the game. Rather, the blame falls on ESPN for hyping LLB to astronomical heights.
Announcers at ESPN often argue that Little League represents the future of the game, and some of the kids may one day become great players in the MLB.
That may be true, but talent in the future does not necessitate talent in the present.
The mechanics and fundamentals of Little Leaguers are often flawed, yet ESPN praises flawed mechanics — the strikeouts and home runs — to keep the American public watching.

This dishonesty does not go unnoticed by true fans of baseball who understand the difference between a well-hit home run and a check-swing “bomb” that results from kids swinging highly advanced pieces of aluminum in a miniaturized ballpark.
Pitchers like Mo’ne Davis have also fallen victim to the ESPN hype machine.
While Davis was certainly exceptional at her craft, pitchers at her age only need an average curveball to record eye-popping numbers.
Breaking balls are kryptonite to the average adolescent batter, and coaches do not seem afraid to dial up three, sometimes four curveballs in a row.
Finally, ESPN will attempt to draw viewership by linking the LLWS finale with feelings of national pride. They encourage you to support your country and cheer for the team representing the United States in the championship round.
I’m sorry, but I don’t believe patriotism for my country lies on the shoulders of a group of prepubescent kids from Connecticut, some of whom are only playing because their parents don’t want them staring at a television screen all summer.
Again, nothing against LLB itself. I hope the kids enjoy spending their summer making memories and playing a game they love.
I’m just saying that if I have to choose between watching Little League Baseball or watching paint dry, you can find me at your local Sherwin-Williams store.