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Cal Ripken is very popular. The name of this 12 and under division of Babe Ruth was changed in 1999 from the Bambino division and the Bambino division had been in place since 1981. The Cal Ripken division has district, state, regional and world series competition. It is not as old as LL baseball, but it did not just "spring up".
I find that most leagues play whatever is popular in the area, so they will have competition at the end of the year, at district tournaments. If every league in a 5 county area is playing Cal Ripken then why be a member of LL baseball and have no one to play, except very far away from home?
All organizations want it be fun, for the players, but sometimes the parents get involved and it is still fun, and sometimes not. It just depends on the league and how it's run and the people running it. It has nothing to do with LL, Babe Ruth, Tar Heel, Dixie, Jackie Robinson, Dizzie Dean, or any other league.
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