-3.jpg "This Is Everything: A Mother’s View of What Little League Truly Means")
This Is Everything: A Mother’s View of What Little League Truly Means
By: Joelle Martinelli | Sportzwire | July 16, 2025 | Photo courtesy Joelle Martinelli - Pixel Perfect NEPA
They say Little League is just a game...but anyone who’s truly been part of it knows—it’s so much more.
This photo was taken during the Section 5 Championship. A player from the opposing team picked up our catcher’s mask and quietly handed it back. It only took a second, but it said everything: respect, empathy, character.
That one moment told a story bigger than baseball. This is what Little League really is.
It’s kids learning what it means to do the right thing, even when no one’s watching. It’s understanding that how you carry yourself matters just as much as how you play the game.
It’s about integrity, sportsmanship, kindness—and the kind of values that shape who they become long after the last pitch is thrown.
As Vice President of our league, I’ve said before that this work can feel thankless. But the truth is, moments like this are the reward.
They are the reminder that every hour spent organizing, planning, and worrying is worth it. I don’t just care about these kids because I’m supposed to. I care because I see them. I see their joy when they get their first hit, and their heartbreak when a game doesn’t go their way.
I wonder if they’re okay outside the lines—if they feel included, if they feel proud of the name on their back, if they’ve got someone cheering for them even when the stands go quiet.
I think about the kid who keeps his head down. The one who forgets his glove but never forgets to help a teammate. The one who lights up when he finally finds his place.
With over 500 players, it’s a lot to carry—but I carry it. Because every single one of them deserves a season they’ll never forget, and someone who’s looking out for them every step of the way.
Little League is more than a game.
It’s a promise to give our kids something real and lasting. A place to grow, to belong, to be challenged—and to be loved through it all. It’s where they learn how to lead, how to lose with grace, how to win with humility, and how to treat others with respect.
Getting to experience this season alongside my fellow Vice President, John Cerasaro, while watching our sons, Carmine and Anthony, take the field together, has been something we’ll never forget.
Between the two of us, we’ve spent 22 years volunteering for these leagues. We’ve seen the best of it—and felt the weight of the hard parts too.
We’ve stayed up worrying, advocating, planning, and showing up over and over again. Not because there’s anything in it for us, but because we care.
We fight for these kids. We care about their happiness. Their confidence. Their memories. Their futures.
And if all we ever get in return is knowing they felt loved, supported, and proud to wear their jersey—then it’s all worth it.
It always has been.
It always will be.
This is why we show up.
This is why we give our all.
Because this is everything.
#LittleLeague #SportsmanshipMatters #ThisIsWhy
