Aside from the breakout stardom of Mo’Ne Davis, people watched the Little League playoffs to support the Jackie Robinson West team that like it’s namesake, broke barriers. Unfortunately, their magical season is now marred due to a violation of the rules.
Little League Baseball has stripped the U.S. championship from the Chicago-based Jackie Robinson West team and has suspended the coach for violating a rule prohibiting the use of players who live outside the geographic area that the team represents, it was announced Wednesday.
The Jackie Robinson West team, the first all-African-American team to win the championship, must vacate wins from the 2014 Little League Baseball International Tournament — including its Great Lakes Regional and United States championships.
The team’s manager, Darold Butler, has been suspended from Little League activity, and Illinois District 4 Administrator Michael Kelly has been removed from his position.
The organization found that the Jackie Robinson team used a falsified boundary map, and that team officials met with neighboring Little League districts in Illinois to claim players and build what amounts to a superteam.
As a result, the United States championship has been awarded to Mountain Ridge Little League from Las Vegas.
This is a sport that struggles to attract African-Americans, the team representing Chicago’s South Side emerged as a force and brought new hope. This is a sad turn of events.
