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History
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George W. Bush played Little League Baseball in Midland, TX. He is the only U.S. president to have played Little League Baseball. Other famous Little Leaguers include current and former Vice Presidents Joseph R. Biden and Dan Quayle, actor Mark Harmon, professional golfer Kathy Gerring, singer Bruce Springsteen, and astronaut Story Musgrave. Major League Baseball players who participated in Little League include Jim Palmer; Cal Ripken, Jr.; Mariano Rivera; and Nolan Ryan.
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U.S. Census Bureau History: Little League Baseball
Delaware Little League District 1 Champions, 1994.
Photo courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives.
This month marks the 75th anniversary of Little League Baseball. On June 6, 1939, the first Little League Baseball game was played in Williamsport, PA. The team sponsored by Lundy Lumber defeated the Lycoming Dairy team 23-8 at Point Park. The third team in the league was sponsored by Jumbo Pretzel.
Little League Baseball has several age-based divisions for children’s softball and baseball. Games are played between June and August. The Little League World Series will be held August 14–24, 2014. Below are some statistics concerning Little League Baseball and children’s sports participation:
- In 1939 when Little League began, there were approximately 17.5 million boys between the ages of 5 and 19 in the United States, accounting for 13 percent of the population. Today there are 32.1 million boys, accounting for 10 percent of the population.
- In 1947, Hammonton, NJ, organized the first Little League program outside of Pennsylvania. By 1949, there were 307 affiliated leagues throughout the United States. Today there are more than 6,500 Little League programs in 90 countries.
- In 1974, the league rules were changed to allow girls to participate in Little League Baseball in accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs. The 1970 Census counted 29.4 million girls aged 5-19. Today, there are 26.2 million girls in that age group.
- Data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation reveal that in 2009, among children aged 6-17, 31 percent of girls and 41 percent of boys played sports. In 1994, 30 percent of girls and 46 percent of boys participated in sports.
Little League Baseball Game, May 1972.
Photo courtesy of the National Archives.
This Month in U.S. Census Bureau History
In a June 28, 1902, report on the textile industry [PDF 17.4 MB], the Census Bureau noted "the sudden springing of the Southern states into prominence in the cotton industry" with capital increases growing from $20.4 million in 1880 to $137.1 million in 1900.
Did You Know?
The Census Bureau collects business information related to sporting and athletic goods. For example, between 1997 and 2007, the number of manufacturing establishments making sporting and athletic goods decreased from 2,562 to 1,881. Between 2000 and 2013, the annual value of U.S. exports of sporting and athletic goods increased from $2 billion to $2.4 billion, with the largest amount going to Canada. In 2013, the United States shipped sporting and athletic goods valued at nearly $701 billion to Canada, an increase of more than $250 billion since 2000.
Contact Us
Questions or comments? E-mail the History Staff.