White House Tee Ball Initiative refers to efforts by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

to promote baseball and softball by allowing youth

tee-ball Tee-ball (also teeball, tee ball or T-ball) is a team sport based on a simplified form of baseball or softball. It is intended as an introduction for children aged 4 to 6 to develop ball-game skills and have fun. Description Tee-ball association ...

events on the grounds of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The event was first held in 2001. In 2001, U.S. President Bush initiated what he described as the "White House Tee Ball Initiative". The purpose was to promote interest in childhood sports, including

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

. According to the White House, the Tee Ball Initiative promoted "a spirit of teamwork and service for America's youth." The plan was to invite teams from around the United States to play tee-ball at the

. Teams were to be selected by the Little League Baseball Association.

About tee-ball

Tee-ball Tee-ball (also teeball, tee ball or T-ball) is a team sport based on a simplified form of baseball or softball. It is intended as an introduction for children aged 4 to 6 to develop ball-game skills and have fun. Description Tee-ball association ...

is considered "the entry sport to

for young players", as it generally requires less skill than baseball. Tee-ball associations allow children between the ages of four and eight to play in their leagues. It is estimated that 2.2 million children play tee-ball. The principal difference between tee-ball and softball or baseball is that the child hits the ball off of a tee; the ball is not pitched. Thus, tee-ball allows a young child to learn the skills of batting, catching, running the bases, and throwing, while making it both easier to hit the ball and less likely for batters to be injured since they do not need to dodge wayward pitches. The capitalized, spaced spelling "Tee Ball" is actually a registered trademark in the US of one particular, church-affiliated organization since the 1970s, though the game goes back to at least the 1950s in various parts of the United States.

List of White House Tee Ball Commissioners

*2006 Commissioner

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-tim ...

July 30, 200

*2005 Commissioner

Barry Larkin Barry Louis Larkin (born April 28, 1964) is an American former professional baseball player. He played shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 2004. He briefly played in the minor leagues before making hi ...

June 24, 200

*2004 Commissioner

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...

April 5, 2004 *2001-04 Commissioner

Cal Ripken Jr. Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed "Iron man (sports streak), The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981� ...

June 20, 2003

References

External links

White House Baseball Web Site White House Tee Ball Web Site

Little League Assn.
Teams can be nominated through this site.
Selection Process from Little League Assn
* York, Bria
''Bush to a Tee''
National Review *CN

Transcript Aired April 29, 2001 {{Little League Ball games Little League

About tee-ball

List of White House Tee Ball Commissioners

See also

References

External links