Little League baseball champions Jackie Robinson West stripped of title
Last Updated: 12/02/15 3:04pm
Little League baseball champions Jackie Robinson West have been stripped of their national title due to fielding ineligible players.
The Chicago-based team, who are named after Major League Baseball’s first black player Jackie Robinson, were found to have fielded players from outside their geographical boundaries.
Team manager Darold Butler has since been suspended by Little League organisers while Illinois District 4 administrator Michael Kelly has been removed from his position.
The title has now been awarded to Las Vegas-based Little League side Mountain Ridge.
Jackie Robinson West were the first all-black team to lift the Little League title and were invited to meet US President Barack Obama at the White House after their success last summer.
Commenting after they had been stripped of their title, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said: “The President is proud of the way that they represented their city and the way that they represented their country.
"The fact is some dirty-dealing by some adults doesn’t take anything away from the accomplishments of those young men.”
One of Jackie Robinson West’s players, Brandon Green said: “We know we’re champions, our parents know we’re champions, the team’s parents know we are champions and the city of Chicago knows we are champions”
