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Streaming Little League Delivers Computer-Side Seats to Absent Parents

by Warren Riddle on August 26, 2010 at 07:30 AM

screenshot from youth sports live
The overwhelming majority of parents already relies on technology to clandestinely monitor children. RFID chips and webcams keep adults on the constant watch, and various services now hope to bring those Big Parents to the ol' ballpark. For $14.95 per month, one particular site called Youth Sports Live claims to provide "the next best thing to being there" by offering access to live-streaming broadcasts of Little League games, as well as to replays on-demand through a Game Library.

The site's pitch also includes an offer to "save your memories forever" with DVDs of events, just so you can ensure that those horrifying recollections of Junior letting the game-winning grounder roll between his legs will never fade. Some groups have, predictably, decried such streaming services for enabling both the lazy and the overbearing. Psychology professor Frank Smoll told the New York Times, "It's definitely over the top [because]... it heightens the potential for kids to feel pressured."

On the other hand, though, archived footage does equip competitive, devoted players with the ability to scrutinize their mistakes and playing form. Plus, with the high number of single-parent households and homes with dual workers, Youth Sports Live grants wistful, occupied guardians with prime (albeit remote) seats for the kids' sporting events. And, lest we forget, distant viewing can serve as a significant public safety benefit, too. With some folks parked at home, those insane incidents of field and rink-side violence should instantly decrease.

Tags: Hockey Dads, HockeyDads, little league, Little League Baseball, LittleLeague, LittleLeagueBaseball, live streaming, live streaming video, LiveStreaming, LiveStreamingVideo, Soccer Moms, SoccerMoms, sports, top, youth sports, youth sports live, YouthSports, YouthSportsLive

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