The roots of baseball include some of the rules of "rounders," an outdoor English game. As time passed, baseball became very popular, and several variations of the game emerged. Tee ball uses the basic rules of baseball. The sport's youngest fans, lacking the coordination to hit a pitched baseball, hit off of a tee so they can participate in formal baseball competitions.
Definition
The T-Ball USA Association defines the game as an entry-level sport for young children interested in softball and baseball. The formal rules organize teams by age. The players are typically between four and eight years old, but younger children who are especially tall and well-coordinated may participate in some leagues. Rather than hitting a ball thrown by a pitcher or pitching machine, young players hit a ball that sits on a waist-high stand. Striking a stationary ball reduces the hand-eye coordination difficulties that many youthful batters have when they're trying to hit a pitched ball.
Rules
Tee ball allows young players to learn the rudimentary rules of baseball. Other than using the tee to bat, the rules of tee ball follow those of youth baseball. The batter hits the ball and runs the bases. Subsequent batters advance the runner on base with additional hits. When the batter crosses home plate, a run is scored. In regular competition, batters have three pitched strikes to get a hit, but in tee ball, batters take as many swings as is necessary to hit the ball. This eliminates any frustration the young sluggers may experience. The use of a static ball also means batters don't fear the pitched ball. Tee ball players are called out when the opposite team catches the batted ball or tags the player out as he runs the bases.
Invention Debate
While the inventor of tee ball can not be accurately documented, Jerry Sacharski receives credit for the widespread organization of the game. Sacharski, a high-school teacher living in a town near Detroit called Albion, built an adjustable tee and organized a "pee-wee baseball" league for boys between the ages of six and eight. The official league debuted on June 25, 1956. Sacharski worked to popularize tee ball and demonstrated the game in 1960 in a broadcast by a local Michigan television station. Albion historian Frank Passic gives Sacharski credit for inventing tee ball, although Sacharski himself deflected the honor, taking credit only as an early organizer of tee ball play. While two Los Angeles residents claimed credit for inventing the game as early as 1958, the trademark for the name "tee ball" was granted to a Florida minister in 1960.
Popularity
The T-Ball USA Association claims that tee ball is played in every U.S. state and territory. It is played in many other countries as well. They estimate that 2.2 million children play tee ball, with boys comprising over 60 percent of the players. As of 2011, the association says that more than 18 million families have a child that participates in tee ball.
References
- T-Ball USA Association: What is Tee Ball?
- T-Ball USA Association: Rules
- T-Ball USA Association: FAQ
- White House South Lawn Tee Ball; Fact Sheet; June 23, 2006
- T-Ball Invented in Albion: Historical Albion Michigan; Frank Passic; April 28, 2002
- "Los Angeles Times"; Jerry Sacharski Dies at 93; Valerie J. Nelson; Mar. 5, 2009
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