Tee Ball Economics

Tee Ball Economics
March 2, 2009
By: R.J. Fee

President Richard Nixon was famous for what was referred to as Ping Pong Diplomacy. As always, I find analogous events in everyday life that tend to create a more clear understanding of what appear to be more complex issues. I recently found just such an analogy to explain the current economic path this country is taking.

While watching a young family member’s t-ball game, I noticed that the activity and learning process set forth for these children was a near perfect metaphor for their later life experiences. Out of the approximately twenty total kids on the field (everyone gets to play, whether they want to or not), the breakdown was as follows:

2 – 3 kids actually had some understanding of, and were constructively playing the game (AKA Group A).

Approximately 10 kids had no idea of what was occurring. It was obvious that some had no desire to participate, as they were digging in the field with sticks. Some kids were simply enjoying the bright sunny day. (AKA Group B)

7 – 8 kids sort of knew they were competing, but were not taking much initiative. Their performance and effort were a constant to ebb and flow between the two previously mentioned groups. (AKA Group C)

Now, I am not a proponent of Spartan training techniques with young children. Up to a certain age, you just have to let them have fun. However, two strange events struck a cord with me both during the game and after.

Event #1 - During the game a pop fly was hit to one of the Group A kids. He caught the fly ball and quickly tagged the base runner who was attempting to advance to the next base. The young man who completed the double play became confused when the base runner was allowed to advance to the next base. After all, the young boy did not know the rules and shouldn’t be told that he was out. Every batter was allowed to round the bases and “score”, although no score was being kept. Ironically, the Group A kids quickly became aware of this and were noticeably less motivated. They migrated closer to Group C. Several of Group C began to migrate toward Group B. Group B kids were still content to dig and aimlessly run around the bases. The end result was that none of the kids learned anything about the game, but learned a valuable life lesson. Ignorance of the rules apparently is an excuse and one does not need to learn from their mistakes.

Event #2 – Immediately upon the conclusion of the game (which was somewhat difficult to determine, as there was no structure to be seen), the kids all lined up for ice cream. The Group B kids suddenly sprang to life and flooded to the cooler, like concert goers rushing the stage. The Group A kids noticeably collected their gloves and bats, before venturing over for their ice cream. I then heard one of the Group B kids displeased that there were no vanilla ice cream cones left. Another life lesson was learned. Effort and doing things the right way must be its own reward. Those that refuse to participate will still get their share and most likely before you receive yours.

I found this whole scene somewhat humorous, much like someone attempting to herd cats. That is until reality slapped me in the face. This is not simply a cute juvenile scene. This behavior has apparently transcended adolescence, law school and found its way to all three branches of the federal government. Here we go folks. Get ready for Tee Ball Economics. To which group do you belong?