Jackie Robinson West Should Be Stripped of U.S. Champion Title: Las Vegas Coach

“The whole nation was deceived” by Jackie Robinson West Little League, says Las Vegas coach Ashton Cave, who spoke to DNAinfo Chicago on Sunday about evidence the South Side league stacked the roster last year with star suburban players from outside its traditional boundaries.

At issue now is who rightfully holds the claim to the U.S. Championship at the 2014 Little League World Series.

The Las Vegas Little League team that lost to South Side’s Jackie Robinson West squad in the 2014 U.S. championship wants the title stripped from the Chicago group amid allegations of cheating.

Kristi Black, the president of Nevada’s Mountain Ridge Little League, said she is concerned the U.S. title already “has an asterisk on it like the one on Barry Bonds home run record,” and the Las Vegas team “rightfully deserves to be recognized as the legitimate team that went the farthest” in the World Series tournament. » more via DNAinfo Chicago’s Mark Konkol

Jackie Robinson West secretly expanded its territory without the approval of neighboring leagues, according to recent DNAinfo reports. Little League International is said to be looking into new evidence. Players reportedly came from suburban Homewood, South Holland, Dolton, Lansing and Lynwood and various South Side neighborhoods.

The South Side team captured the attention of the nation with stellar play and inspiring personal stories. They were the first team of entirely African-American kids to win the national championship. The city and suburbs embraced the team’s accomplishment, staging a victory parade.

And the players were invited to the White House in November to meet the president and first lady.

The players and coaches in the Oval Office in November 2014.

“The big thing for the kids is the idea that their circumstances don’t determine their ceiling. They are the best in the United States,” league founder Bill Haley said after learning of the White House trip. “These kids — really humble kids — are the best in the United States.”

Haley saw the celebration of their victory and effort as affirmation of what he’d been trying to teach the boys — that hard work would pay off in the end.

The coach of the Las Vegas team says another lesson must be learned from this: “I’m a firm believer in integrity and that’s something we teach our kids … and that’s what Little League is designed to do. If we’re going to live by its motto, we need to make things right.”

More Coverage

• Evergreen Park Coach Says He Did ‘The Right Thing’ in Raising Questions

• Jackie Robinson West Little League Accused of Cheating on Residency

• The Weight Upon the Shoulders of the Jackie Robinson West All Stars

• A Jackie Robinson Little League Champ is Homeless

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