Who are the real sports heroes we should admire? We idolize major league ballplayers who have been paid a lot of money to play a game. Where do the real American sports heroes play? Drive through almost any neighborhood park, any city, any state and you’ll find adult men and women playing softball. Twelve inches to sixteen inches, slow pitch or fast pitch. Good old American softball.

Many great working class people play softball two to three nights a week. My father played Sixteen Inch until the day he died. Adult men gather five to six nights a week to swing giant logs, get a little exercise and then snuggle up at the local watering hole. Coincidentally, the venue itself is happening to be sponsored by the team. These guys and girls often get up at the crack of dawn and work away at jobs they may or may not really like. With every grueling minute that clicks, these dedicated sports heroes think about tonight’s game.

We grew up in Chicago, and our choice of softball was the 16-inch clincher. No gloves, just bats and bare hands. The best players’ hands carry like paws and a certain athletic grace that at some point only translates to a sixteen-inch softball. It is a nice game to play. This game created distortions and we kept playing. Don’t ask a 16-inch softball player for directions. He will point to three different locations around town the second he raises his hand. Guys who limp are worse than a high school auto shop teacher, and this guy can barely walk. That’s the dedication of a true sports champion in my book.

These men and women exercise until one of two things happen. They can no longer move any limbs or die. People, these are real sports heroes. Don’t let your children admire the over-paid men who dedicate their entire lives to their sport. Have them go watch the guys and girls at your local park play in leagues that require each player to shell out their hard-earned cash to play. Have them go talk to the guy who just spent every day cleaning up your child’s school but still participates in the game he loves because he has dedicated his life to his sport, but he does it simply because he loves the game.