“WE NEED THIS”

That’s what he says at the end, and I agree with him. Who is ‘he’? He’s Taylor Duncan, a young man from Dallas, Georgia, who was born with disabilities on the autism spectrum that affected his opportunities to play organized baseball as a youngster. Coaches were concerned that his autism would inhibit his ability to play at the level required of his age group and that he would suffer injuries as a result, so they refused to let him be on their teams. After many attempts to play, he gave up on others and formed his own league.

In 2016, Taylor formed the Alternative Baseball Organization (c), which offers professional-rules baseball to teens and adults ages 15+ that have autism and other disabilities. As they learn and play the game, they also learn social and life skills for on- and off- the field. Now, in October 2021, there are more than 80 teams across 34 states. My older son plays on the first team established in Maine this fall. It’s a dream come true for him and us–he’s 15–and we look forward to his second season next spring.

Unlike teams in Southern states, we’re not afforded the luxury of another season this time of year, so we’ll be content with what we had as an inaugural season, and we’ll begin working on the next one. In the meantime, other sports are being offered along the same vein of developmental leagues for players with disabilities. As ABO founder, CEO, and commissioner Duncan says, “We need this.”

You can learn more about the Alternative Baseball Organization by watching the linked Youtube video below, and you can learn a LOT more about Bangor Alternative Baseball by visiting http://www.bangoralternativebaseball.com or http://www.facebook.com/BangorAlternativeBaseball.