When someone turns on the television and watches a Little League Baseball World Series game, it's almost a certainty that they will get a good look at one of the brightly colored family sections.
The family sections, which are on each side of the field, are filled with friends and family of the two teams competing. And what many fans find out is the family sections often can be just as entertaining to watch as the game itself, thanks to the overwhelming support that many of the participants get.
Getting to the seats is no easy task, though, as many families don't have the luxury to pack up and travel cross-country, or even further to Williamsport.
Between already being on the road and away from home, and being pushed to the limits financially, families must get creative in order to find their way to the Little League complex.
"It's not a cheap trip," said Jack Wideman, manager of the Southwest Region champion McAllister Park Little League in San Antonio, Tex. "Hotel rooms are expensive and we are staying for 12 days. Flights aren't cheap and you even have to worry about meals."
McAllister Park has been fortunate enough to receive a massive amount of support - about $25,000 - from the community in San Antonio. For many teams, both corporate and individual donations make up the bulk of funds they receive.
"Business people in San Antonio have really stepped up to the plate and give us cash. And individuals have called in and given money," Wideman said. "San Antonio really gets into Little League. They realized this isn't our first tournament. Parents have stayed about 16 nights on the road already before they even get here."
Sometimes, though, donations and aid come from unlikely places, which is the case for the Mexico region winning team from Oriente Little League in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. For at least the second year in a row the municipal government from the winning Little League has stepped in to provide both financial support as well as transportation.
"They (the government) paid for the bus and they paid for the hotel rooms and that was a big help for (the parents)," Mexico manager Fernando Rios said. "From everything with fundraising and donations, we were able to raise about $20,000."
Teams such as McAllister Park and Oriente Little League have been fortunate enough to receive both corporate and individual donations as well as help from the government.
Other teams, such as Lugazi Little League from Lugazi, Uganda, aren't as fortunate.
Not one parent from the Lugazi Little League team was able to make the trip. The parents, most of whom work in low-paying jobs at sugar factories, aren't able to put shoes on their children's feet, let alone finance a trip to the United States.
"America is a good place to live - we're blessed to live in the United States," Wideman said. "My heart is out to those guys and that country and what they have to go through and it's sad."
Hopefully for Uganda, many fans with no affiliation to any team will latch on and support players who won't have the constant support of friends and family both on and off the field.
"It's very important for the parents to be here," Rios said. "It's important because they can get into the game and help the kids cheer up. It's good to play for them."
