Aluminum vs. Wood Baseball Bats: Social Responsibility Governing Athletics in the Twenty-first Century

Participating in youth sports is an important aspect of development for children in the United States. Engaging in physical activities teaches children important life skills, such as teamwork and responsibility, as well as keeping children physically fit. However, a recent City Council decision in New York dealing with the use of aluminum bats, upheld in United States District Court, has hung an ominous cloud over youth baseball. The choice to ban aluminum bats negatively impacts the youth in the five boroughs of New York City because the ban makes baseball less accessible, costlier, and less enjoyable for its players.

The fact that the 2006 Major League Baseball World Series was the lowest rated since the statistic has been tracked, as well as the decreasing participation in youth baseball, reflects the lack of interest in baseball nationwide. A 2006 news article claimed that about 41 million children were competing in youth sports (such as the children in the image to the right); surprisingly, only one sport mentioned had declined in popularity since 1996: Little League Baseball.

One problem facing youth baseball is that compared to other sports, it is especially difficult to have a spontaneous “pick-up” game. For example, basketball requires only a ball and two circular objects to represent rims to play. Soccer just needs a ball and a few cones. Baseball is strikingly different in its need of multiple pieces of equipment and the necessity of several players, as well as a large playing surface.

Another major disadvantage for baseball as a youth sport is the cost. Beyond gloves, pads and cleats, bats are an additional expense. Youth wood bats can range, on average, from $15 to $70, depending on such factors as the store where it was purchased, professional athlete endorsement, and other reasons. Youth aluminum bats are often more expensive, averaging in price from $30 to $250. Despite the price difference, aluminum bats are in fact more cost-effective because wood bats are more likely to crack during use. Thus, in the long run, more money would be spent replacing wood bats (and replacing them) than on aluminum bats.

However, it would be irresponsible to ignore the benefits of wood bats. It is true that the professional leagues in the United States utilize wood bats; therefore, using wood bats in youth leagues would provide a more appropriate setting in which one could judge an individual athlete’s potential for success in professional baseball. Also, wood bats typically have a smaller “sweet spot,” or the best point of contact for which a player can get a good hit. Accordingly, wood bats enable one to better assess an athlete’s “true” ability, and how much his or her baseball statistics were enhanced by the aluminum bat (an analysis of three different types of bats, including a wood composite bat made of multiple materials, can be seen in the image to the left).

Nonetheless, one must focus on the importance of baseball beyond being a farm system for the professional leagues. If aluminum bats have not been conclusively proven to be more dangerous than wood bats, (and they have not), then there should be no problem for youth leagues to utilize them in competition. If aluminum bats allow less talented individuals to have a little more fun playing baseball because they make it easier to get a hit, then using aluminum bats in certain leagues does not appear to be a bad idea. It should be the decision of the individual league’s governing body to decide what is most appropriate for its players.

New York City Councilman James S. Oddo, chief sponsor of the legislation banning the aluminum bat, was quoted as saying, “‘I understand they want one single piece of overwhelming scholarship to prove my case, but I don't need that….’” The councilman, while having the best of intentions, seems to be jumping to a conclusion that is lacking concrete evidence. Relying on anecdotal evidence to guide legislation is not always an effective method of governing, especially in this situation where the anecdotal evidence is at times contradictory.

The issue is becoming increasingly political; for example, aluminum bat companies are hiring lawyers and lobbying the government. The number one priority needs to be the children. While both sides claim to have the participants’ safety as their number one priority, our government appears to be acting like overprotective parents who do not trust their children to make decisions. The New York City Council made a definite mistake in eliminating the use of aluminum bats in high schools, the aftereffects of which will be felt by baseball players in those schools for years…that is if the programs can survive the financial bind which they have been placed in by the government.