So, with a bit of a short lull in our softball fall season, I thought that I would switch it up just a little bit and talk about the bigger picture: the future of softball.
Hopefully most of you are aware of the fact that softball had been previously eliminated from the last Olympic Games and has already been removed from the next two Olympics as well. This definitely came as a huge blow to those of us out there playing our hearts out in the hopes of one day fulfilling our girlhood dreams of competing at the Olympic level. We were never given official reasons for the sport's removal, but of course speculations have been made regarding why this was done. Most speculators believe the reason to be that USA softball has been much too dominant over other participating countries in past Olympics. This seems like a bogus accusation to me personally, because although the United States has won more than their share of gold medals, the Japanese continue to give our women a run for their money and have even beaten them out a couple of times for the title.
Whether the reasons are valid or not though, softball is still on the decline as far as popularity and support goes, as described by Holly Vietzke in her blog post on the Sports Law Blog. She mentions the retirement of Jennie Finch, one of the sport's most talented and beloved icons of our time. I was privileged enough to witness Jennie's final game (even though I could only watch it on television) in the World Cup of Softball. For me as a player, it was one of the most moving and touching retirements I've witnessed. It was heartbreaking to see a woman like Jennie, who my fellow teammates and I have admired since we were so young, step off of the field for the last time. As Holly Vietzke said, it brought about the sense that softball is nearing its end.
As a college softball player, I know that realistically I will never reach the Olympics or even professional softball. So what makes me upset is not the fact that the opportunities are diminishing for me, but that so many little girls won't even be able to have that dream. Why would a little girl want to play softball if there was no future for it? Vietzke mentions that even the World Cup of Softball now only has 3 countries participating. Three! It's discouraging to hear that some day there won't be anything to work for. There are so many college softball players out there good enough to make it to play at that level who will never get the chance and so many little girls who may never enter into the sport because it is falling by the wayside.
Check out Holly Vietzke's post and see what she has to say. Even though you may not have a connection to the game, think about the little girls out there with dreams of making it big in the softball world and find a way to support.
As an ardent softball fan, this discourages more than just the players. I used to watch Olympic softball, but now the best I can do is catch the NCAA World Series. I feel part of the reason that softball was removed from the Olympics is because of revenue. This ties into the fall in popularity, but it is sad that money comes into consideration for the showcase of the world's foremost athletes in games supposedly promoting peace, tolerance, and growth through competition.
I can't believe you're such a fan! Not many people that aren't involved with the sport have any interest in it, so I appreciate that! It is sad that money is the downfall of so many great things. I'm currently working on a small project to inspire younger girls to enter into the sport despite the loss of our idols. I hope that down the road girls will still fall in love with the game that I have come to love even though the professional aspect is falling apart.