Where Little League’ s $30.1M in ESPN money goes

Published 7:31 pm Thursday, August 21, 2008

Little League’s $30.1 million contract with ESPN goes toward many behind-the-scenes costs and other programs besides Little League, spokesman Chris Downs said.

For example, Little League baseball leagues are required to do criminal background checks for volunteers, which can be costly at $35 per person. The ESPN money has allowed Little League to give the first 80 background checks to each league free with a $1 per check charge after that, Downs said.

The money also goes to a slight reduction in charter fees. Each team has to pay a $16 charter fee to be a part of Little League baseball, which is down from $18 previously, Downs said.