“It’s almost like a family,” sophomore Jason Cross said, referring to his baseball teammates. Watching games and boxing matches with them late at night after away games, long bus rides and grueling practices, Jason is together with them through it all.
Sports can often be characterized by competition, winners and losers, but for Jason, baseball is not simply a sport. For him, it is a source of community, belonging and growth.
Jason first played for the Hyde Park Kenwood Legends team, after starting baseball at age 6. In eighth grade, was accepted into the White Sox Amateur City Elite team, a White Sox-sponsored baseball team dedicated to supporting young African American boys and girls in the sport. Participation in the team is entirely free of charge.
“It’s supposed to give us opportunities to just go out and compete and make something out of sports, and especially a sport where you don’t see a lot of colored individuals playing at an elite level,” Jason said.
Baseball means a lot to Jason on a personal level. More than anything, it is a source of belonging for him. While Jason was nervous when he first joined the White Sox ACE team, he soon found that the community took on a central role in his life.
“I was really nervous, because the year before I had tried out and I didn’t get on. So when I did get on, all these guys were like really huge and really competitive guys. But what I’ve realized is that like everyone in baseball, everyone has been in a spot where they felt like they were alone,” Jason said. “Everyone feels the need to make someone feel welcomed on a team because a team can’t be successful if one person is being left out.”
Through the specialized resources provided by the White Sox ACE team, Jason is able to balance his baseball commitments with his school life. The team offers sports psychology classes along with various other related opportunities.
“They do make it really easy for us to commit to both school and baseball. We have to turn in our grades to them every single year, and so with that, we have to make sure that we’re not just committed to baseball and staying locked in with that, but also keeping our grades intact and locked in in the classroom,” Jason said.
Ted Ratliff, a Lab early childhood teacher, coaches Jason both at Lab and at the White Sox ACE program. Mr. Ratliff said Jason’s qualities, both as a player and as a person, are notable.
“What stands out about him is his work ethic, and sort of his tenacity as a player,” Mr. Ratliff said. “You know, he plays really hard and he’s very competitive, and as a coach, you know, you always appreciate players that bring that to the table. That’s really great.”
Mr. Ratliff also noted Jason’s appreciation for the community aspect of the sport, as well as his development as a leader.
“Though he’s a younger person, he’s really grown as a leader in my opinion. He, as a sophomore still, commands the respect of the upperclassmen, and that’s through his work ethic and his ability on the baseball field as well as his character,” Mr. Ratliff said. “He’s a guy who inspires that in his teammates and brings his teammates together in this system of support.”
Through it all, Jason’s dedication to baseball has defined him, yet more so, the connections he has formed and the leadership he displays have defined the communities he is a part of.
