Playing baseball is a rite of passage for many children. It is no surprise that so many families flock to this quintessential youth sport because it offers a variety of benefits to the athletes who decide to try it out. Here are four reasons why you should consider enrolling your child in a baseball program.

Baseball Teaches Teamwork

Baseball is the ultimate sport to learn teamwork. Every player on the field has a specific position, and a team will never win without every position working for the common good of the team. While so much of the sport is focused on individual statistics, it is the teamwork that brings about the win. For example, a pitcher should be able to feel confident that if he gives up a hit, his fielders will be there to make the out.

Baseball is Safer Than Other Sports

As a non-contact sport, baseball is safer than most other sports. Unlike football or hockey, which require an abundance of physical contact, the dynamics of baseball do not necessitate that players go hard after each other. In contact sports, that blunt force trauma can result in serious injuries to the head, neck and back. This is generally not an issue in baseball, aside from freak accidents. The mechanics of baseball also do not lead to knee and ankle issues that are frequently seen in sports like basketball and soccer.

Baseball Builds Social Skills

The large amount of downtime that players experience during a regular baseball game creates the perfect environment for developing social skills. Young baseball athletes spend a significant amount of time in the dugout, which gives them the opportunity to cultivate friendships and learn how to support other players as part of a team. No other sport offers this kind of time to build social skills concurrently with learning the sport.

Baseball Builds Hand-Eye Coordination

The sport of baseball teaches hand-eye coordination skills. Players pick up these fine motor skills while learning when to swing the bat to make contact with the ball and how to position their arms and legs to properly catch and throw the ball. The acquisition of these fine motor skills will translate to other sports as well. There is a host of reasons why baseball is consistently regarded as America's sport. Enrolling your child in a youth baseball program will pay off big dividends both on and off the field.