As the All-American sport, many of our children grow up learning to play the extremely popular game of baseball. And all baseball players know baseball trophies and baseball go hand in hand.

If you are shopping for the best trophies for Little League players, keep the following idea in mind: When children begin to play sports, winning should not be everything. We must teach these young children about sportsmanship and a love for the game.

This is why it is very important to not only buy awards for the most talented players on the team, but for each player on the team, as well. You see, by awarding trophies to only the best players on your team, other children may become discouraged and lose motivation. And as a coach or parent, this is the last thing you want your little athlete to do. But you can't just award a trophy just for showing up either!

Unless the awards you give out are for real achievements, they lose importance and value to those that really did a superb job. Therefore, the following list should give some ideas how to accomplish these apparently opposing objectives - giving trophies to the best players to reward outstanding performance and all the other players to keep them motivated and excited about the game.

Types of Little League Trophies

Individual Little League trophies and awards make each and every player feel as if they are a valuable asset to the team. Here are some great trophies you can hand out to your team members:

1) Best Hitter Trophy - just because you want everyone on your team to be motivated, do not forget that your best players need to be rewarded, too. One major award to hand out is a Best Hitter trophy.

As a prestigious trophy, this award should stand out from the rest. A nice gold or silver-plated standard column trophy with a baseball player on top would make a great Best Hitter trophy.

2) Best Sportsmanship Trophy - some people consider this kind of trophy just as beneficial and satisfying as a winning award. Show your young team that being a good sport can be just as rewarding as hitting a home run.

Many people on a team can win this award, so small, inexpensive resin trophies shaped like baseballs would be great. Another idea is to award engraved baseball medals to each recipient of this award. Regardless of victory or skill level, medals make great spirit-lifters because players can easily show them off! After all, who can be unhappy when they are wearing a medal?

3) One for All! - Sometimes the team's budget is tight. If that's the case, don't worry. There is another alternative to individual trophies.

Instead of buying each team member his or her own trophy, consider purchasing one large-sized trophy or even a smaller version of a tournament trophy. Then, have your team's name and playing year engraved.

As a team, decide where you would like to display your impressive team award. When athletes are young, they need guidance and positive reinforcement to truly excel in baseball, or any other sport for that matter.

When everyone on a Little League team receives baseball trophies, baseball medals and awards, this will help add a sense of team unity and spirit to your eager young players.