Bush League is a term used in baseball, which refers to describe a player’s playing style or character that lacks sportsmanship. Any amateur or professional baseball players are familiar with the bush league because it might be a way to become a professional player. Any player who perpetuates this kind of game is called a “bush-leaguer”. Although the term isn’t a positive word to describe a player, still it plays a vital role in the game, as players usually have the same goal to win the match.
Definition and History of Bush League
The phrase “bush league” might be an unsportsmanlike attitude, however, this is not against the rule of baseball. This is an effective technique when professional baseball players pull out amateur players to be added to their rosters.
The word “bush” represents a small town or rural area in America, where they are inferior to urban areas. This means that minor league baseball players can be inferior to Major League players because they are earning less money than the Major League players. However, they are allowed to play in the Major League.
Examples of Bush League
In 2015, during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets, Chase Utley’s slide broke Ruben Tejada’s leg. While this happened as an accident, still other players find Utley’s behavior unacceptable. This also happened in 2017 when Manny Machado did the same thing to Dustin Pedroia.
These examples have the same storyline because the second baseman had received an injury. To retaliate the situation, the resolution is to throw at both basemen by the opposing pitcher.
Unwritten Rules on Bush League Baseball
What is unwritten in baseball’s official rules and regulation keeps the sport exciting and interesting. Although professionalism and sportsmanship are being promoted in the field, still teams have reasons to stretch out the rules. Bush leaguers don’t have a major impact on the team’s scores, however, the displayed attitude might display spark emotions between teams, players, and fans.