EBSA-David Horwitz

INTRODUCTION

The EBSA is Evanston, Illinois’ youth baseball and softball association. It gives kids from the ages 5-15 the chance to play organized baseball. The EBSA supplies fields, equipment, and facilities so that the kids can have the best experience possible. The Evanston Baseball & Softball Association does make a profit, but the money they make goes directly back into the program and leads to better uniforms, helpers, and facilities.

BACKGROUND

The EBSA has been providing children with the chance to play baseball for close to 60 years. Their goal is to teach children the skills and values of baseball and softball, but also to show them a good time. Set up in Evanston, Illinois, the EBSA is sponsored by a number of local and commercial businesses. Co-Presidents Bill Blanchard and Mike Weber run the EBSA and there are also commissioners for each age group. The association was set-up by the community because 60 years ago Evanston was not a safe place to live for every child; still today, there are unsafe areas. So they wanted to set up something that would get kids off the streets and into safe, structured activities.

EMPLOYMENT

There are many ways to get involved with the EBSA. To get your foot in the door, you can start by working at concessions, you can be an umpire, or even help run the facilities during the season. In many ways the EBSA is a community effort. There are numerous families that volunteer their time so that the kids can have a great experience. There is also coaching. The EBSA hires coaches as young as the age of 19. They love giving jobs to people who are part of the community and have been involved with the EBSA previously. The current presidents were each umpires and coaches before they became the presidents.

CURRENT TRENDS

The current trends for the EBSA are good. They have a number of job opportunities available for umpires, they added four new sponsors this year, and they were able to put new scoreboards up on each of the fields. Also, the player development in each league is improving. There are a number of new summer camps available to players and travel teams are beginning to enter more tournaments where they can play better competition. Not only is this good for the players, but it has allowed the association to expand and keep growing.

EVANSTON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL

The current growth of the EBSA these past few years would not be possible without the help of Evanston Township High School.

The contributions that the high schools athletic department has made to the EBSA have been drastic. A percentage of the money collected from each fundraiser done by the school is given to the EBSA. Also, the high school has set-up its own baseball and softball camps where children can go to get a more advanced skill set. Without the

high schools help there is no way the EBSA would be thriving like it is.

DEFINITION OF LEISURE AND BENEFITS

The EBSA defines leisure as giving children the best chance to improve their baseball and softball skills while still having fun. The main benefit of the EBSA is that they give kids a safe and structured area to learn and play baseball. Another huge benefit is that the whole community is able to get involved and make the EBSA a well-oiled machine.

SYNOPSIS

The Evanston Baseball & Softball Association has been part of my own life for years. Growing up in Evanston, I played baseball from the age of 6-18. I was part of the EBSA for years and I know what a great organization it is. There are many pros of working for the EBSA. One reason is the satisfaction that you get out of basically helping an entire community. A large part of Evanston takes part in the EBSA and being able to help that many people can only make you feel better as a person. Another pro is that it is a great way to learn basic sport management. Even though it isn’t a large sport organization, there are still many responsibilities that come along with it. Workers for the EBSA have to set-up both baseball and softball youth leagues, they have to hire a number of employees, they have to set-up camps, and have to run a large facility. The only con I can think of when it comes to working for the EBSA is that the pay is not that great. Many workers are paid by the hour and also because they are able to get so many volunteers, they don’t have to pay their paid workers a large sum. Still, the EBSA is a great organization that does great things for the Evanston community.