"Playing and coaching in the American Legion program brought me a true sense of community. The American legion baseball community is unmatched. I believe there is long-term value in being part of a longstanding program like this. I benefited greatly from it, and I believe future players will too.

I received a scholarship from the American Legion program, which helped support my post-secondary studies. I had a summer job through the American Legion program which did the same. But the sense of belonging and commitment to the baseball community is where, in hindsight, I gained the most value. When we hosted tournaments (and sometimes all on the same day) I did field-work, coached, umpired, ran the scoreboard, and chipped in wherever else to ensure the success of a tournament. I did this because I felt like I belonged to this baseball community and wanted it to succeed. This commitment and work ethic, of course, carried into my life in many ways outside of baseball. 

I’m a better teammate, professional, employee, partner, because I belonged to a tight knit baseball community through an important developmental point in my life.”