Controversy surrounds elimination of "God" and "Country" from South Tahoe Little League pledge

The National Little League pledge, written by Peter J. McGovern in 1954, reads as follows:

I trust in God
I love my country

It has long been a tradition in South Lake Tahoe where players recite the pledge prior to every Major Division Little League game.

That tradition ended this year as the local Board of Directors decided to remove the words "God" and "country" from the pledge so it would read like this:

I will play fair
And strive to win
But win or lose
I will always do my best

Many parents of players, as well as coaches, were upset by what they perceived as a bad move by the board without first talking to them "To me it felt as if a decision was made without any input from the members of STNLL (South Tahoe National Little League) on a subject that concerns every one of us one way or another," said coach Sean Griffis.

The STNLL Board met Wednesday afternoon to review their decision which was made because it had come to their attention that there were members who were uncomfortable with the profession of faith in the pledge on the baseball field.

Their final decision on the situation was released in an email Wednesday morning: "As many of you are aware, the Board has been faced with a difficult decision regarding the Little League Pledge recited at the start of Major Division games. It became clear to us that not all players have the religious beliefs and convictions that they are pledging to when reciting the Little League Pledge."

They made the decision to not say any pledge, but to sing the National Anthem at every game instead.

"We believe this decision is in the best interest of all the children in our league and will still provide a sense of sportsmanship and tradition to the start of our Major Division baseball games," the STNLL Board of Directors said. The board consists of President Duane Hamburg and members Allie Kipke, Kathy Denise, Jim Mathews, Mark Lehmann, Cheryl Orr and Katie Vasser.

The issue was taken to social media this week, with dozens of parents, coaches and other locals weighing in.

According to the National Little League, local leagues can decide whether their players will state the pledge. Their website states: "Today, local Little League programs sometimes choose to recite the Little League Pledge at the start of the season, and some recite it before every game. It is printed on the backs of the Little League rule books. Some local leagues also choose to play or sing the National Anthem of the country in which the game is played. Others may add a prayer to ceremonies.Whether to recite the Little League Pledge, play or sing the National Anthem, or say a prayer, is entirely up to the local league’s Board of Directors. While many local leagues and districts include a recitation of the Little League Pledge in ceremonies, it is not, and has never been, required to be recited by any person involved with Little League Baseball or Softball."