When I read a youth sports news article today about a man who is accused of bilking Little Leaguers out of $16,000, I realized how important it is that background checks be done on those involved with running youth sports organizations. At the same time however, this story illustrates how that isn’t enough.

The person that runs the association involved actually did a background check on James Michael Anderson, 42, who is now charged with felony embezzlement. Guess what? He did have a previous embezzlement charge that showed up on the background check at the time, but he was still selected as president of the Allendale Township Youth Athletic Association which runs the baseball and softball programs in the area.

First of all, I have a tough time with people like this who take advantage of youth sports organizations. There’s just something so wrong with that. And yet, there are probably worse crimes that can be committed when it comes to working with children. So as crazy as this wrongdoing may seems, it’s not even the biggest reason to get a background checks done.

To find out why the guy running the league still chose Anderson when we knew he had a previous embezzlement charge, read the whole story at mlive.com.

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