City Rec's Are A City's Wreck In Philadelphia

As a parent of two young boys, there is no greater joy than to watch them compete on the playing field. Whether it is on the baseball diamond or the football grid-iron, the overall excitement never changes, it only increases as your children get older. The competition gets better, the play by the players gets better, the euphoria gets better, but there is always one recurring trend that never gets better. The fields on which they play are horrible.

It is a travesty that a sports city, such as Philadelphia, would allow our children to play on such dilapidated fields. To watch your son or daughter have to go running through fields filled with broken bottles, weeds growing taller than the children themselves, and dog feces all over the place is a disgrace and a downright shame. You can travel to any county outside Philadelphia and you will find most, if not all of the ball fields in much better condition than the ones in the City of Brotherly Love.

Philadelphia always gets recognized for it's cheesesteaks, pretzels, and Rocky movies, while they are great things to have, and lord knows I love cheesesteaks, wouldn't it be just as honorable to be known as a great city in which your kids can enhance their athletic talents, without having to play on these fields of horror?

Never has been the saying, "If you build it, they will come." ever apply to the state of matters when you're talking about Philadelphia's Recreational Centers and the fields surrounding them. The problem is the City is bankrupt and can't find the funds to repair any of these fields. It's a sad state of affairs that our children have to go outside the city to find a field that will enhance their skills and give them an even playing field, pun is intended.

Wouldn't it be nice to see the joy and smiles on children's faces when they come to their game(s) or practice(s) and see well manicured baseball, football, and soccer fields? Imagine the sheer excitement the boys and girls will have, by sitting in beautiful dugouts, and feeling just like the pros that they idolize so much.

I'm not saying that by having all the ammenities that come with a well-maintained field will make your kids better athletes, but it will definitely make them much happier to come to practice(s) or game(s), that's for sure, and the more they show up, the more they play, and the more they play, the better they become, and the better they become, the better we all are. In other words, "If you build it, they will come."