Valley Wheel Baseball is a 30-and-over baseball league based out of Springfield, Massachusetts. With games on Sunday afternoons, players can enjoy the luxury of a fulltime job with baseball on the side. This affiliation is perfect for adults who may not have quite what it takes to be part of Major League baseball.
Nonetheless, all six teams, the Angels, the Twins, the Cubs, the Athletics, the Tigers and the Orioles, host a competitive spirit that drives them through summer games.
High school and college have always preached the importance of a well rounded student, incorporating athletics as a necessary component of this vision. However, once one has exited the educational system, there is little outside incentive to remain a part of organized, competitive sports.
With the transition from manual labor to office work, America has become one of the most obese nations in the world. In combination with poor diets, much of this can be attributed to a lack of athleticism after high school and college. To counteract this concept, we must reintegrate physical activity into the everyday life of the American worker.
Adult competitive athletic leagues such as Valley Wheel are helping to improve this aspect. Membership is upheld with motivation to make it to and win the league championship as well as pure love for the game. On Sunday, August 14 the Athletics won the championship game and took home the three foot trophy.