As the strains of Auld Lang Syne ring out on New Year’s Eve, longtime Little League International President and CEO Steve Keener will enter retirement and turn over the mantel of leadership to Pat Wilson.
Appreciably, he took the time to reflect upon his experiences with Webb Weekly.
WW: How satisfying has your career been?
Keener: “My career with Little League has been extremely satisfying. It’s been 44 years, and an awful lot has happened during that time. Reflecting back, when I came here in 1980, we had Little League programs in all 50 states and 19 countries. Now, we still have a presence in all 50 states but have expanded to 84 countries.
“When I think back upon the growth of the program globally, and we have had so many people involved in making that happen, it is one of the things I feel really good about. Having the opportunity for kids in 84 countries benefiting from the Little League experience, when there were just nineteen when I started, has been rewarding.”
WW: What has meant the most to you?
Keener: “I tend to look back at the moments, and there have been so many of them, and it is hard to pinpoint anyone in particular. But personally, the one I’ll never forget because it involved my family took place at the 2001 World Series.
“We had just adopted our daughter, Maggie, and brought her here from Guatemala. She was born in an extremely poor area with no running water and no electricity. President and Mrs. Bush came for their first visit to the Little League World Series, and they asked my wife and me to host them. We explained we had a young baby girl, and Cheryl may not be able to come. President Bush said to bring the baby along.
“I remember Cheryl putting the baby down, and Maggie sort of waddled towards the President and put her hands on his knees. The President asked if he could hold her. He picked her up and began to bounce her on his knees. Maggie’s eyes began to close, and she fell asleep on the President’s lap.
“I was sitting next to him and had goosebumps. I was thinking 13 months ago, this little precious thing was born in this god-forsaken place, and now she was taking a nap on the lap of the President of the United States. It set the framework for what has turned out to be a nice long friendship and relationship between the two of us, which led to Little League being invited to play tee-ball games on the south lawn of the White House. It is something I will always remember.”
WW: What was your biggest challenge?
Keener: “The biggest challenge I’ve faced with the program has been more recent. The whole evolution of the youth sports industry, with so much emphasis placed upon specialization and what is commonly referred to as travel ball — with many parents believing the only way their kids will be successful is if they get them into a highly competitive, rigid program playing superior competition all the time.
“The challenge has been to get people to understand that there is real value in community-based programs where kids are playing with their friends because those are the things that will become meaningful later in life. I’ve had the opportunity to meet many very successful individuals who have accomplished great things in their lives, and so many of them have told me their greatest memories come from when they played Little League.
“For 95% of the kids who have played Little League Baseball or Softball, Little League is going to be it. Only a small percentage of them are going to go on and play professionally in anything. The lessons they learn with their friends and their community at that young and impressionable time are very meaningful. To get parents to understand that has been the challenge.”
WW: How has the program changed?
Keener: “The program has changed rather dramatically. When I started, the regulations that governed local leagues were much different. There was a 20,000 population limit; you had to have a defined boundary, which sometimes meant there were sections of a community that had to have multiple leagues because of the population number. As communities and society changed and school choice became more popular, parents wanted more freedom as to where their kids could play.
“Little League was the only organization that required a boundary area for selection to play. We needed to adapt to that. Over the years, we’ve had to make modifications to regulations regarding eligibility. With the breakup of family units, flexibility was needed to give parents a little more opportunity to choose where their kids could play.
“You don’t change just to change, but you can’t be afraid of change. In order to grow, you need to have some flexibility. I am very proud that Little League today is still the industry leader in the youth sports universe.”
WW: Is there anything you would have liked to have done but couldn’t accomplish?
Keener: “I can say there are some things we’ve done that I wish we would have done sooner. In the recent past, we really put a focus on female participation as players and volunteers. Last year was the 50th anniversary of girls being allowed to play Little League Baseball, and later came the advent of the Little League Softball program. I think we went a little too long treating softball like it was the kid sister to Little League Baseball. Once we committed to that, the program really took off. But I think that could have been done sooner.”
WW: What are your plans for the future?
Keener: “Well. I’ve always wanted to get my golf handicap down, so I’ll have time to work on that. I really don’t have any concrete plans, and I’m not looking for a job. I’m going to take some time off. If something comes along that is of interest to me, I’ll think about it. Quite frankly, the program will be in great hands with Pat Wilson at the helm. We’ve worked together for thirty years, so he ought to know what not to do.”
