Last weekend, the Baseball Youth All-American Games brought 335 youth athletes from 39 states and three neighboring countries (Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico) together to play ball at Elizabethtown Sports Park in Kentucky. But here's the best part... teammates met for the first time on arrival to the ballpark!
Photo Courtesy of Baseball Youth
The All-American Games gives the best of the best youth baseball players (all nominated) a unique opportunity to team up with fellow athletes across state and country lines to form Baseball Youth teams (United, Eagles, Patriots, Freedom, Stars, and Firecrackers) spanning six different age groups. On the field, you’ll find players identified by their home state or country displayed on the back of their jersey. But beyond the top-notch competition, the All-American Games creates a solid playing field for new friendships to form, uniting diverse players and families.
"We have players coming from all over the United States and travel is expensive. Not everyone can attend. Parents and grandparents want to see their player participate in an All-American event like this, even though they can't be there in person. People were thrilled that we were doing that. The quality was fantastic. No issues at all. We were pleasantly surprised and pleased by that. Having HiCast Sports Network involved was very valuable for us and we hope to continue that with other events we put on.” Shared Scott Hacker, founder of Baseball Youth.
Scott Hacker (former collegiate and professional player) created Baseball Youth in 2005, starting with the Baseball Youth Magazine. About three years ago, Baseball Youth, began hosting their own youth baseball tournaments, both individual events such as the All-American games and week-long team events with great success, growing their fanbase of followers not only at ballparks but across social media networks, spanning more than 350,000 fans.
Photo Courtesy of Baseball Youth
“The All American Games is a unique experience not only for the players, but for families. It's a rare opportunity to play on a team with kids from across the country and it's a bonding experience for the families. These kids come together to play on a team with kids they've never met, and they leave as best buddies. If you're a top level player from Maryland, you're playing with kids at that same level from California, Texas or even Alaska. The whole experience... from the opening ceremonies held at the University of Louisville Jim Patterson Stadium... to workouts and skills measurables, to games all weekend long... it's just very unique." shares Scott Hacker. "It's one of those memories they will never forget from their youth baseball career."
Photo Courtesy of Baseball Youth
Each player is asked to share their primary and secondary position, and Baseball Youth puts a lot of effort in forming team rosters that mix players from different states, and not only give athletes a chance to showcase their skills, but also stretch them by giving them an opportunity to play different positions. "We try to make it a lot less stressful and more enjoyable than playing on their home-based travel ball team." says Scott Hacker.
HiCast Sports Network set up a temporary network installation at Elizabethtown Sports Park to cover the event on the four key championship fields, and live-streamed select games through Baseball Youth's Facebook page 300k+ followers, to play off live tournament excitement. We provided live and on-demand through our HiCast Sports Network mobile app and web viewer, giving players, coaches and fans the ability to save and share their favorite highlights from the game in the HiCast Sports Network and beyond. User highlights from the tournament appeared in Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, receiving thousands of views.
How does Baseball Youth feel about players and fans having the ability to save and share tournament highlights from the HiCast Sports Network? Scott Hacker said, ”It's unbelievable. It's great for the parents. It's great for the venue, and our tournament. You'll see us doing a lot of that as we go through the tournament archive and share highlights through our social networks."
What would Baseball Youth say to venues considering the HiCast Sports Network? "It's a no-brainer. Everything that we requested was done this past weekend, and it worked perfectly in our mind. For any destination-type of venue... why would you not install the HiCast Sports Network and showcase your ballpark? It just makes perfect sense,” shared Scott Hacker.
If you're a tournament director hosting games at venues in our HiCast Sports Network, join our Promoter Program. And if you're hosting tournaments somewhere else, give us a shout and let's team up to cover the venue.
If you're a venue owner or general manager, fill out this form to see you qualify for a limited-time, discount on HiCast Sports Network installation.