This article was originally published on www.si.com as Reason Why the Little League World Series Is Played in Williamsport Is Fascinating. The 78th Little League World Series has begun in Williamsport, Pa., as 20 teams from around the globe will battle to determine the best Little League team in the world.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT- It was an “awesome” day at the Little League World Series. That was a word used often by the Little Leaguers and players with the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners to describe their experience Sunday.

It’s not an ice-cream cone. It’s not an Italian rainbow cookie. It’s the baseball bat being used at the Little League World Series.

The Braintree Little League team suffered its first loss of the summer Thursday, falling 13-0 to Irmo, South Carolina in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

A magical summer ends for Clarendon Hills at the Little League World Series; “the best experience I’ve have had in my whole life.”

The road to Williamsport was filled with more drama than usual for a couple Little League World Series participants this year, including a Venezuelan team that needed visa exemptions to make the trip and an American club that narrowly knocked off a defending champ.