In addition to general and division specific house rules for all players and coaches, the Northwest Washington Little League (NWLL) adheres to a code of conduct for players, coaches and parents. Our League philosophy is that we honor the game of baseball and keep the focus on the children.
Parents, players, and coaches commit to always:
- respect the game of baseball, by playing hard and refusing to bend the rules to win; Playing well and fairly is the essence of the game.
- respect our opponents, by playing “fierce but friendly;”
- respect the officials, by showing dignity, honor, and respect, even when we disagree;
- respect to ourselves, by maintaining a high standard of moral character in the face of adversity
- respect the fields and facilities we use by leaving them cleaner than we found them
Parents Code of Conduct
Parents must remember to set a good example to the players in their baseball development by remembering at all times that:
- The game is for our children, not us, and our baseball league is about their learning and development, not merely about whether they win or lose.
- We offer positive feedback to players and we find and celebrate the “little successes” that our children have during each game.
- We cheer at all games within the spirit of fair play and do our best to cheer the effort, regardless of the outcome. We are mindful in “lopsided” games where excessive cheering our own “winning” team might be hurtful to the other team.
- We leave the coaching to the coaches during games. We shall do our best not to give our child instructions during the game.
- We do not criticize the umpires openly or directly, during or after games. Any criticism is to be done in writing to the Division Commissioner or Board President, not orally.
- We show the quality of our sportsmanship during and after each and every game and help our child remember to thank the game officials after the game without regard to the result, and to shake hands with their opponents willingly and sincerely.
- We work to understand the rules of baseball and of NWLL and take responsibility for our child following those rules.
- We do our very best to have our child at each practice and game, on time and ready to play.
- We understand that (upon review) the NWLL can, and will if necessary, suspend our individual privilege to watch our child play should we behave in a manner that violates this code of conduct, is rude, or is otherwise offensive.
- We agree to do our best to have as much fun watching the game as the players have playing the game.