Where Have all the Baseball Fields Gone?

Where have all the baseball fields gone? Maybe it is just me but I am finding there are less and less baseball fields to play on in communities. And, when there are baseball fields you can't just go and play on them but you need someone's permission whether it is the School System or an Athletic Association. In the league that I coached in this year (7-8 y/o coach pitch baseball) we had to share a field for practice. It is hard enough to teach 7-8 y/0 baseball but it is especially harder with throw down bases in the outfield which hasn't been cut in three weeks.

I do notice though that in most communities now there are acres of soccer fields. My purpose is not to start a soccer versus baseball war but it does seem to me that soccer has taken over as number one in most communities in terms of number of fields, quality of equipment, and number of players. In that same baseball league I coached in we did not even have our own equipment but shared equipment with the team we practiced with.

Perhaps what I am observing is the death of baseball. Hardly in this age of computers, game systems, and over protective parents do I see kids playing pick up game on a ball field or even in their yard. I don't hear about kids collecting baseball cards or stickers. As I grew up their were kids who could tell you the top ten players with the best average in the American and National League as well as the save leaders from each league. Granted, I do not hang out with ten year olds on a regular basis but I do not even hear much baseball chatter from kids of any age.

Bring back baseball!