It happens every year, for one reason or another parents sign their kids to play in Little League, Pony League, Cal Ripken Baseball and Babe Ruth Baseball leagues even though they aren't interested. Sometimes kids have interest at the beginning of the Little League season but lose it as the season goes on. We see more with kids who lack baseball experience and/or haven't practiced much.
In recent years we seem to have a handful of kids who are interested but cannot stay focused for more than 5 minutes. This, perhaps, is the biggest challenge confronting youth baseball coaches because you have to constantly remind them to pay attention.
A good Little League or Cal Ripken baseball coach can easily identify the kids who are forced to play. It is a challenge to keep them involved and focused. It's important to instill in them that a member of the team they need to give their best effort and cheer on their teammates. In rare cases a discussion with the parents can help (some parents are re-living their glory days - ignoring their kids desire to play). In most cases I recommend they try to stick it out until the end of the season; to give it a chance.
In the beginning of each season we have a meeting with the parents and players to set behavior expectations.
Rule #1 - To the parents Coaches are not babysitters.
The rest of the rules are common sense. They help to discourage the behavior exhibited by uninterested players.
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