Throughout the more than seven decades in the history of the Little League Baseball® World Series, countless notable guests from professional athletes to accomplished entertainers have visited Williamsport for the iconic event. Since 1980, among those guests have also included world leaders, including the highest position held in the United States of America.
Here are the U.S. Presidents who have been a part of Little League Baseball World Series history:
President George H. W. Bush – 1980 LLBWS
While on the campaign trail as Vice President in the 1980s, eventual President George H. W. Bush (1989-93) took time out of his busy schedule to stop in Williamsport and throw out the first pitch before the championship game of the Little League Baseball World Series. While he was only able to stay for the first two innings of that game due to other obligations, President Bush’s, as well as First Lady Barbara Bush’s, commitment to the Little League® program has been one that was felt throughout his entire life, including supporting his own children’s Little League experiences in Texas and celebrating Little League’s 50th Anniversary celebrations in 1989 with a reception on the South Lawn of the White House. To learn more about President Bush’s impact on the Little League program throughout his life, click here. Each year, Little League International also recognizes the legacy of the Bushes with the President George H.W. and Barbara Bush Little League Parents of the Year Award.
President George W. Bush – 2001 LLBWS
In 2001, during his first year as President of the United States of America, President George W. Bush made the trip to Williamsport where he was honored as the sole 2001 enshrinee of the Little League Hall of Excellence. With his appearance, President Bush became the first (and only) sitting President to visit the World Series. A former Little Leaguer® himself, President Bush gave the youngest level of the Little League program a unique opportunity with the launch of “Tee Ball on the South Lawn” in May 2001, bringing Tee Ballers to the White House for a memorable experience. From that memorable day, the Tee Ball on the South Lawn program continued through President Bush’s entire time in office, 20 games were played with 563 Little Leaguers getting the opportunity to enjoy the unique experience of playing on the South Lawn of the White House. President Bush was also a guest at the 25th Little League International Congress in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2010.
President Joseph R. Biden Jr. – 2009 LLBWS
While serving as Vice President of the United States, eventual President Joseph R. Biden Jr. made the trip to the home of Little League where he was enshrined into the Little League Hall of Excellence during the 2009 Little League Baseball World Series. A former Little Leaguer himself from nearby Scranton, President Biden and his son, Beau, continued to find ways to support Little Leaguers in their home state of Delaware and throughout the world. In August 2013, they made a congratulatory call to Little League Baseball Mid-Atlantic Champions from Newark National Little League in Newark, Delaware.
For more information on the Little League World Series, visit LittleLeague.org/WorldSeries.
NOTE: This story is a piece of the 75-Part Content Series celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Little League Baseball World Series in August 2022. Join in on the celebration by using #LLWS75 on social media and by tagging @LittleLeague on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information on the celebration, please visit LittleLeague.org/75.