What are we, and society, teaching our kids? Does character matter anymore? What is a person’s word worth these days? What are our youth learning from so-called ‘role models’?

I have coached summer baseball in the Redmond area for 44 years, and for 27 years have served as the president of the Puget Sound Mickey Mantle League. I’ve seen a number of changes in our youth and their parents and in what I call “commitment.” And just when I think I’ve seen it all, I find I have not:

• We have situations where high school coaches, being paid by a summer program (and there are a number of these) allow the summer organization to “promote” they are a “feeder team to the high school,” insinuate that anyone who attends school at “their” high school must offer themselves to the summer team if they hope to play high school ball. This technique is used as far down the chain as 12- and 13-year-olds.

1. It’s against Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) regulations.

2. It’s against and enforced by some, but not all, summer baseball leagues.

3. Most importantly, WIAA ignores the regulations, the high schools ignore the rule and the head coaches ignore the rule.

All a lack of character.

• Parents and players make commitments in August to a summer program, but later after tryouts and after they cannot be replaced, they decide the “grass is greener” and want to leave one team and join another — sometimes if the new team will be better, they like that coach better. Too many parents allow their player to disregard the commitment made, and make the switch. Honoring their handshake, their commitment, their given word, no longer applies. No life lessons for their child, except it’s OK to back out of a commitment anytime you feel there’s a better deal out there.

• A summer ball coach is offered more money next season; he gets to be a head coach. All wonderful and deserved. However before the current year is done, while in the current team’s uniform and while being paid by the current team, he covertly recruits several top players for his new team next season. All the while telling the head coach and organization he’s in as coach for the next season. And the chance to set an example for the impressionable young players is lost.

How did we get here? How did this get to be “OK” to so many? (Five showed character and stayed — so there is character out there.)

• A college coach cheats in his recruiting or “payment” to athletes, and when caught, sanctions are imposed. The coach doesn’t like the fact his high-profile program can’t go to a bowl game, or recruit, so he breaks his contract and resigns, leaving the players he recruited, who committed because of him, and goes to another college or the pros. The new team ignores his lack of character, hires him, usually with a significant increase in pay that only reinforces the perspective that this behavior pays off.

• A professional player hammers out a two-year deal with his team, but after one year, he’s a “star” or another player received a multiple-year deal. Suddenly, he doesn’t see the contract he so happily signed a year ago as binding. So he “holds out,” the contract doesn’t matter nor does his handshake or his signature. The team caves, reinforcing the belief that a “contract isn’t necessarily a contract.” Lack of character all around.

• Hall of Fame vote: Players used drugs, the league ignored that, the players union ignored it and backed the players that are caught. So-called analysts believe the cheater should be in the Hall of Fame. So let’s send the message that it’s OK to cheat? It’s OK to cheat because “we” know others cheated but didn’t get caught? Twenty percent of the voters say cheating is OK — how many children believe cheating is OK?

When the world ends for you, did you have character? Did you give your kids character? Is your handshake worth anything, your word?

Les Dow, Redmond, Dow Baseball Club