The Little League World Series is where the dreams of 12-year-olds are realized. However, the road to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is no easy path.
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Teams advance to the LLWS only after winning their regional tournaments, all of which are televised on ESPN. Luckily for fans at home, one special moment was caught on TV when Texas and Oklahoma played each other in the the Little League World Series Southwest Region Championship. Everything about the play embodied sportsmanship.
"Hey, you're doing just great"
Oklahoma little leaguer gets hit in the head and then comforts the pitcher who is shaken up afterward pic.twitter.com/hYYLiy511K
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) August 9, 2022
Texas East pitcher Kaiden Shelton was on the hill in the first inning when he hit Oklahoma batter Zay Jarvis in the head. The result was scary, as the hitter's helmet was knocked off and he immediately fell down to the ground.
Jarvis eventually got up and made his way down to first base, but then he noticed something. Shelton was on the mound, nearly in tears. He felt bad he had just drilled his opponent in the head. That's when Jarvis made his way to the mound to console his fellow Little Leaguer, letting him know it was OK.
Now that's what you call sportsmanship. Toward the end of the clip, you can even see one Texas mom in tears, probably because she's proud of those kids on the field. This is what it's all about.
The moment instantly went viral on social media. It has more than 1.5 million views on Twitter and counting, and it's been retweeted nearly 10,000 times. It's been quote tweeted by celebrities and athletes.
"I am not OK. Please watch this and try not to cry. There is goodness in the world. Job well done parents and kids," Gabrielle Union wrote.
"That kid's parents/coaches are doing things right. Super impressed," ESPN personality Sarah Spain wrote.
They're right. Whoever raised these kids have done a tremendous job. When there's so much negative in the world, it's always nice to see something like this. Hats off.
This whole team clearly is full of sportsmanship, because after they beat Mississippi they were right there consoling them as well.
This is what it's all about 👏
Oklahoma makes sure to show good sportsmanship to Mississippi after their game. pic.twitter.com/cIl7pEaCsH
— Little League (@LittleLeague) August 7, 2022
Oklahoma ultimately lost the regional championship game to Texas East, meaning they won't play in the LLWS. Still, this moment showed everyone just how terrific they were.
