Ever since its creation in ancient Greece, the Olympic Games have provided the opportunity for athletes from all backgrounds to prove their abilities against the highest level of competition.

That concept was one of the driving forces that led to the creation of the first National Youth Baseball Championships, which will be held from Aug. 21-24 at Gameday Baseball's First Tennessee Fields in Memphis, Tenn.

The tournament, which will be streamed live on MLB.com, will crown a champion from a group of eight teams in a 10-under division, as well as a winner from eight more in the 12-under division. More than 100,000 teams from eight youth baseball organizations around the country competed for a berth in this event.

Forty years ago, as an executive for the TVS Television Network, Eddie Einhorn made the decision to broadcast what was later billed as the "Game of the Century" between UCLA and the University of Houston. He's credited as one of people who helped make college basketball an immensely popular sport, and he could very well do the same with youth baseball, thanks to the far-reaching scope of the internet.

MLB.com will provide live video streams of 14 games from the tournament as well as the Thursday evening's opening ceremonies. In the MLB.com broadcast booth for the semifinal and championship rounds on Aug. 23 and 24 will be former Major Leaguers Harold Reynolds and Billy Sample. Joining Reynolds and Sample will be two more familiar MLB.com voices in Noah Coslov and Vinny Micucci.

MLB.com will stream four pool-play games in the 10-under division on Thursday and four 12-under pool-play games the day after. The 10-under semifinal games will be streamed live on Saturday at 10 a.m. ET and 12:30 p.m. ET, with the championship game to be streamed live at 5 p.m. ET.

The semifinal round for the 12-under division will be streamed live on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET and 1:30 p.m. ET with the championship game scheduled to be streamed live at 7 p.m. ET. Opening ceremonies will also be streamed live by MLB.com on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

"This is the beginning of something very special," said Rick Cerrone, tournament media director and 22-year Major League Baseball executive. "For eight outstanding youth organizations to come together for a national championship tournament, that's a major achievement in itself. To see these young players competing on the field this weekend will really be exciting."

The National Youth Baseball Championships is the brainchild of Einhorn, vice chairman of the Chicago White Sox, who drew together eight youth organizations to form the Major Youth Baseball Alliance, LLC.

Comprising the Alliance are: the American Amateur Baseball Congress (AABC), the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States (AAU), Babe Ruth Baseball, Dixie Youth Baseball, the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF), PONY Baseball, Super Series Baseball of America and the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA). Altogether, more than eight million kids participate in these leagues.

There's the noticeable absence of Little League from this group, in part because that organization will be hosting its own world series over the weekend. Little League also features a different qualifying system, as regional All-Star squads -- not the teams that play together over the course of a regular season -- compete for spots in their tournament.

Given that these championship events will be taking place at the same time, there are sure to be comparisons between the two formats. Perhaps Little League will one day be involved in the National Youth Baseball Championships. For now, Einhorn and the Major Youth Baseball Alliance felt the time was right to bring together the remaining organizations in the best attempt at crowning a national youth champion to date.

The participating teams in the under-10 division are: Tomateros de California, Paramount, Calif. (USSSA); Juice 10's, Orlando, Fla. (AAU); Tamiami Playmakers, Miami, Fla. (PONY Baseball); Southern Jaguars, Atlanta, Ga. (NABF); Kenner, La. (Babe Ruth); McComb, Miss. (Dixie); Bonnie Braves, Brooklyn, N.Y. (AABC); and McKinney Marshals, McKinney, Texas (Super Series).

The 12-under division participants are: Blossom Valley Broncos, San Jose, Calif. (PONY Baseball); Norwalk Stingrays, Norwalk, Calif. (USSSA); Juice 12's, Orlando, Fla. (AAU); Gresham Park Yard Dogs, Gresham Park, Ga. (AABC); East Cobb Astros, Marietta, Ga. (NABF); Southeastern Lexington, Lexington, Ky. (Babe Ruth); Germantown Giants, Germantown, Tenn. (Super Series); and Texarkana, Texas (Dixie).

While the National Youth Baseball Championships will feature tournament play solely in these two age groups, the goal is to eventually crown champions in all age groups from eight to 17. Cerrone expressed hope that next summer will bring at least one more age group competing for a title, and that eventually international teams will be a part of the event as well.

Tune in to all the action, and watch the stars of tomorrow compete for a national championship. And who knows -- when that tomorrow comes and these players are gracing Major League diamonds across the county, one will be able to look back at the first National Youth Baseball Championships as the start of another mammoth sporting enterprise.