The Little League pledge begins with "I trust in God". A Little
League spokesman (Lance Van Auken at the Pennsylvania headquarters)
is quoted as saying "there's no requirement to say it or believe
it". Children of atheist families may "stand silently" during the
pre game "I trust in God" pledge. That is why, despite ocassionally
receiving government grants, it is unlikely that there will be
lawsuits against Little League. If Boy Scouts dropped their
requirement that all Scouts self-aver monotheism then it could
continue to receive government grants and sponsorship without
exposing itself to anti-discrimination lawsuits.
Nevertheless, the recitation of this pledge presumes children
hold a monotheistic belief that is not held by millions of
Americans, amounting to an endorsement of a sectarian religion.
This can be uncomfortable for such children and their families,
creating friction between them and their peers. Furthermore, the
Little League does not inform all new members that the pledge is
optional. Parents and grandparents are encouraged to protest this
bias. Little League should embrace all Americans, both religious
and nonreligious, by removing "I trust in God" from its pledge.
This is just an arbitrary sample from a couple of states, not a
complete list. There are thousands of Little Leagues so checking
them for all for government grants would be very time consuming. Guidestar has copies of completed IRS tax form 990 online.
Mobile Alabama Little League 2001: $13,195 government grant.
Huntsville Alabama Little League 1998: $8,930 government grant.
Petersburg Alaska Little League 2001: $2,005 government grant.
Juneau Alaska Little League 2002: $22,062 government grant.
Craig Alaska Little League 2002: $8,068 government grant.
Seward Alaska Little League 2002: $2,073 government grant.
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