UPDATE: Little League baseball officials announced Wednesday that they've stripped the title from the team that captured the U.S. Championship last summer in South Williamsport.
The Chicago team was accused of recruiting players from outside the city, which is a violation.
Little league also suspended the coach.
The U.S. Championship has been awarded to the team from Las Vegas.
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT -- A controversy is swirling around the Little League team from Chicago that was the best in the U.S. at last year's World Series in South Williamsport.
According to published reports, Little League officials are looking into claims that Jackie Robinson West from Chicago recruited top players from outside the city.
Jackie Robinson West captured the title of national champions after defeating a team from Las Vegas in the 2014 Little League World Series last August in South Williamsport. Now how the team was able to pull off that feat is being called into question.
League officials say they are in the final stages of reviewing concerns about the team, but would not go into detail. However according to published reports, Jackie Robinson West is being accused of recruiting players from outside Chicago, a league residency violation.
"It makes it for all the teams who did follow the rules and did do the right thing, it makes it upsetting for them because had they followed the rules, maybe they wouldn't be there. Maybe another team would have the memory for their children who couldn't play when they were 12," said Amber Lehman of Jersey Shore.
After beating the Nevada team, Jackie Robinson West went on to vie for the world champion title, but lost to South Korea.
According to the ABC station in Chicago, there are claims that Jackie Robinson West used players living in Chicago suburbs, from areas that have established Little Leagues of their own.
"I think that's not right. That's unfair to the other players. That's not good. That's not a good thing," said James Johnson of Williamsport.
Others say maybe Little League is just mimicking what's happening in the world of professional sports.
"You got your big league sports, they don't set the example for the kids. They should. Either they're cheating and taking drugs and stuff like that and the kids see it and they follow suit," said Allen Reed of Williamsport.
Little League officials have yet to announce any decisions involving Jackie Robinson West.
