Some Youth Baseball Coaches In NH Reportedly Wanted To Bean The Only Girl In The League Until She Quit
You may have woken up yesterday to find New Hampshire Youth League Baseball making headlines on USA Today and Deadspin and were left wondering what happened. Well, if the accusations are true, it will be put an ugly spotlight on youth athletics and the divide between boys, girls, and baseball.
According to Seacoast Online who first reported the story on April 11th, a parent has accused two separate coaches in the Oyster River Youth Association of concocting a plan to repeatedly "bean" his daughter with baseballs until she finally quit the league. The intimidation took place during practices, in which the coaches in question would instruct male players to throw at the head of the league's only female player, in hopes she would transition to softball like other girls had in years past. The girl involved in this was just 11-years-old.
The Board of Directors for the Oyster River Youth Association has launched an investigation into the accusations, but would not comment further until the investigation is complete. Unfortunately for the youth baseball league, both USA Today and Deadspin's articles went viral and have put the magnifying glass on the small organization in Durham, New Hampshire and what they're ultimate findings will yield.
As for the young girl, her father states that she will continue to play baseball as long as the Oyster River Youth Association can provide a safe environment for his daughter.