Take Me Out To The Ball Game…

An important rite of passage for any sport-loving kid is their first ball game. In this case, this doesn’t mean the first one they play in – which is obviously quite important in any case. It means the first one they go to see, often the moment which concretises in a child’s mind their love of a particular team. Players that they have only seen on the TV can be seen in living color, and the experience of the ball park is one that often fills a young sports fan with the fervor which is familiar to any sports fan. Taking your child to a ball game is also a chance to imbue in them the love for a team which you have held since your own childhood.

There are practical considerations. Tickets – which are not cheap, wherever you sit – should be bought for a family section of the stadium. Emotions run high at sports matches, and spectators are not always going to use language which you would be thrilled for your child to hear. Umpires, opposing players and underachieving players on your team will often come in for criticism that will stray from the constructive level. It contains words that you would not like your child to repeat in polite company – or anywhere else, for that matter. Ideally, you would also like to take them on a day when there are concession tickets available. Also, it may be advantageous to take them to a game against a team they are likely to beat – kids can be capricious and not want to go back if they see a heavy defeat first time up.