Harlem Little League Number Dip Ahead Of 35th Season: Report

HARLEM, NY — As Harlem Little League prepares to kick off its 35th season, volunteer board members said the organization is facing a steep decline in kids signed up to play, according to a report.

At its height, Harlem Little League had 900 kids signed up to play, the New York Amsterdam News reported. This spring, board members estimate only 250 players will sign up.

Several reasons are to blame, board secretary Satrina Boyce told the Amsterdam News, including a decline in playable field and a waning interest among Black youth. The privatization of youth baseball has also been particularly damaging.

"A lot of those rec leagues (where every kid, no matter what talent could play) are getting smaller and smaller because parents…go to the private leagues where they’re paying a lot of money, but we do know that not everybody can afford a traveling baseball team,” Boyce told the publication.

Read more at the New York Amsterdam News.

Founded in 1989, Harlem Little League offers spring, summer and fall baseball to boys and girls ages 5-12 as a chartered member of Little League Baseball Inc. In 2015, Harlem Little League served approximately 400 kids, according to the group's website.