T-Ball Coach Convicted of Lesser Charges for Beaning

The Pennsylvania T-ball coach accused of offering an 8-year-old boy money to bean his autistic teammate was convicted of less serious charges than he originally faced.

Mark R. Downs Jr, 29, was convicted of corruption of minors and criminal solicitation to commit simple assault, according to Fayette County, Pa. officials.

How could this happen? How could someone stoop to such a level? I guess it is because Downs had so much riding on that T-ball game, that he just couldn't imagine losing because an autistic kid was playing. I mean how could he face his friends?

I felt like throwing up when I first heard about this story. I remember T-ball, but I don't remember winning being the most important thing. I guess a lot has changed since I was 8.

People often pose the question: Why are sports losing their appeal to the younger generations? The answer is simple. It is because of people like Downs. Kids don't learn to appreciate the games they play and have fun playing them. They learn that you must win at all cost and nothing else matters.

I wouldn't have liked sports myself if I would have been exposed to that stuff. I learned to love the pure sport, not the results. The idea of wins and losses were instilled at an older age when I had the mental capacity to handle such things.

I loved baseball (and I still do) and that's why I played it. I wanted to win and I wanted to win a lot. But, it was the love of the game and purity of it that brought me to the game my grandfather loved. And kids these days don't learn to appreciate the game. Whether it be football, baseball, basketball or soccer kids are taught that winning is the most important thing.

How should we fix this? Abolish Williamsport, Pa.'s Little League World Series and events that are similar and start playing the games. Play the games because they are fun, not for some over-weight 40-year-old man's ego.

All you fathers and mothers who are killing sports in America...You should be ashamed. For every "Go Jimmy #8" on the back of a mini-van there is a kid giving up on sports because sports are not fun anymore...