Spotlight On: Nebraska Legion Baseball

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Nebraska American Legion Baseball boasts 4,000 players and about 290 teams. As a reference,  Minnesota Legion has 360 teams and 5,000 ball players.  If you take a "per capita" look, Nebraska has one team for every 5,900 citizens while Minnesota has one team for every 15,900 citizens.  Our Cornhusker friends boast that they have two and one half times the Legion teams based on population. Whatever the bragging rights might be, Nebraska unquestionably is Legion Territory.

How is baseball organized and managed in Nebraska?

First off, Nebraska Legion features a professional manager housed in the state Legion headquarters. He is an Assistant Adjutant that oversees of all Legion sponsored activities including: softball, boys and girls state, baseball and more. Presumably, administrative support including website are provided at the state level.

Next is the Athletic Board comprised of volunteers representing different geographic areas. Each area has a "commissioner".  Directors are elected by the Legion baseball coaches of the area with four year terms. If you want to be a director, you probably need to maintain contact with your area coaches.  In Nebraska, the director is the elected representative. Lose contact or don't do the job, don't count on being re-elected.

Electing representatives seems a natural fit.  After all, the parent American Legion is based on voting members who elect post commanders and elect state officers. Baseball is a part of the "Americanism" department and what is more American than democracy? One man one vote. No taxation without representation. Boston Tea Party and all that. Coaches are considered 'members". The coach or manager pay fees to the State so they have a vote and a say. Nebraska State Legion takes their democratic  approach very seriously. 

Nebraska wants their coaches to be informed and involved.

1) There are two scheduled major meetings that are statewide coaches meetings. Content and comments are welcome. Discussion is welcome and its out in the open.

2) Meeting notices, meeting agendas, and meeting minutes are provided right on the website for anyone to view or download. Transparency is a commitment not a tagline.

3) The state website has a new coach portal  where a coach can sign up and access more information and forms. This portal fosters greater communication between coaches and Legion program leadership.

4) Coaches vote on proposals or other items. 

The Activities Director is quick to state that he and they believe in maximizing opportunities for kids and providing competitive balance as well. How is it manifest?

1) Nebraska has four (4) divisions in baseball just like our Minnesota State High School League here at home. Rather than look at school enrollment, they divide up the teams into four equal divisions - 25% a piece. That keeps playoffs continually balanced.

2) Nebraska uses the National Legion Plan B team formation format allowing up to a 7,500 school enrollment level. One team could be formed from multiple communities. Most teams are formed around one base high school but the flexibility is there allowing local self-determination. In other words, Nebraska follows the National program without amendment or restriction.

3) A fifth division might be in the near future they say to accommodate "B" teams or junior varsities of larger programs.

The commitment to opportunity and competitive fairness is best illustrated by the Nebraska A Division state tournament change. Like Minnesota, Nebraska sends two teams to the National Regional. For many years, the champion and the runner-up would advance from a single eight team double elimination tournament. However, the two teams that advanced were most often from the major cities and most often represented the east side of the state - Omaha.  

Effort was made by all parties - the leadership, the State Legion, and the coaches. They created a new format with two tournaments being played - one for the West and one for the East. The two tournament champions would both advance to the national regionals. And the two teams would play for the overall state championship and the bragging rights that came with it.

Immediately the entire state of Nebraska was represented. They called it 'competitive balance'. On occasion, a new team would form to compete for the A Division West Championship. The 'combo' team  combined several smaller towns into one team using the National Plan (7,500 enrollment limit). The smaller towns still kept their home town team in the lower divisions. A couple of the "combo teams' have been very successful.

The "Great East West Battle" expanded the scope of playoffs, grew the number of teams and players competing, and ensured that success would flow to the entire state rather than continually favor one geographic zone. This format has been so successful that Nebraska plans to extend the format to the B Division possibly as early as 2025.

As for special state tournament frills, Nebraska chooses a fairly minimal approach. Neither the State nor a tournament Host provides free meals or hands out meal money to state tournament players. Nebraska does not buy or require the tourney host to buy hotel rooms for players no matter how far they travel.  They do provide a very modest "travel reimbursement" based on mileage and/or a flat $100 expense reimbursement allowance. Most teams and families are used to paying their tournament travel costs. Coaches have not show interest in expanding the reimbursement program. 

State tournaments are booked out for three years. 

Pressure from alternative programs? Not really. Not yet.

As the Nebraska Assistant Adjutant said - "We put players and coaches first". No one is excluded from the table. It is the Nebraska American Legion putting baseball democracy into practice.

Website: https://www.nelegionbaseball.net/