Throughout an MLB season, there’s always up’s and downs throughout the 162 game journey. One day you are on a big winning streak and before you know it you can be in the middle of a losing streak. Baseball has always been the epitome of keeping an even keel and adopting the adage of the tortoise wins the race.
The A’s organization has infamously been known for its forward thinking on the field after the movie “Moneyball”. But they should also be recognized for their work to make a positive impact off the field in the Bay Area as well. As STEM education and sports have continued to align together, baseball often times is a perfect bridge to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.
Today, the Oakland A’s and Chevron will host more than 100 Richmond Little Leaguers, for the second year in a row, for an on-field clinic that will look to inspire science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning through the science of sports. The coaches will include A’s coach Ron Washington; former A’s players Shooty Babitt, John Odom, and Bip Roberts; former Major Leaguer Mike Felder; and Babitt’s son Zachary Babitt, a 2012 MLB draft selection. A’s players Marcus Semien and Kendall Graveman, who studied mechanical engineering at Mississippi State and is a STEM supporter, will also be on hand to meet clinic participants and sign autographs.
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The A’s and Chevron have hosted a few STEM-related programs throughout the season to help deepen the interest and understanding among Bay Area youth by applying science to baseball. Chevron has made an effort to be committed to increasing access to quality education and started the $35 million scholarship program called The Richmond Promise.
The main outcome of the Chevron STEM program is so Little Leaguers can learn just how prevalent science is within baseball. While baseball can look so smooth when played by professionals, even the simplest movements by players are directly related back to science. When exposing important educational methods through sports, it can lead towards steps to opening horizons for new and exciting science-based interests in young minds.
“There has been an explosion in the use of technology during the years I’ve been managing. It started with video, and making tapes of games. Now, players and coaches can analyze what happens on the field in total detail. Most of the attention now is on the technology of metrics and using computers to calculate probabilities and efficiencies,” Tony LaRussa now of the Arizona Diamondbacks told us last year.
As STEM and sports continue to collide and provide children the outlet to learn complex ideas through sports they love, professional and collegiate sports entities can continue to make an impact in their communities.