Thread: Major Upset - Japan Takes Gold

I agree that it was a tough loss for Team USA, but I couldn't help thinking this has to be good for getting softball reinstated in the Olympics! You can't say it's a one-sided competition when we don't win the Gold.

Then there's also the issue of sport as anology of life. Learning to play a team sport and be part of a team is an important life lesson that women aren't readily afforded (One of the mothers on a team I coached brought this to my attention). Other than Soccer, how many team sports are there for women in the Summer Olympics?

A tough loss for the team today but maybe a good thing in the Big Picture. Maybe this loss will open the door to many more Softball Olympians in the future.

I know this had to be upsetting for the us team, because it was upsetting for me, but i do hope this will help get softball back into the olympics, so that i might get to be on the team when the time comes.

Originally Posted by KAT

volleyball, basketball, handball, water polo, to name a few

Thanks for the correction. After I posted it I didn't think it sounded right, but I was blinded with rage.....

Couple of Olympic threads. College Softball -

Originally Posted by Marc Dagenais

I just watched the Olympics Final and have witnessed a major upset as the US team was defeated in one of the most surprising upsets in these Olympics.

That will be a huge disappointment for the young ladies of the US Team who worked incredibly hard just like all other softball olympians in the world.

Congrats to Japan and their pitcher Ueno who threw 28 innings in 24 hours all by herself! What an amazing performance.

It might actually help the sport get back into the Olympics by showing the world that softball isn't just dominated by one country but is an international sport unlike the perceptions that softball is mostly a US sport.

All I can conclude with: "Games are played on the field, not on paper." Let's remember that as a highly valuable lesson for our young ladies.

Marc

This is going to take the target off the backs of the USA team and puts it on Japans. Now THEY are the one to beat and they have the braggin rights.

The only way this can help get softball back in the Olympics is if it inspires other countries to start a national softball team. The more countries fielding a national softball team, the better the sport's chances of being an Olympic sport.

This is why the Men's softball is not an Olympic sport. Not enough contries have a national team to qualify that sport for the Olympics.

Originally Posted by halskinner

This is why the Men's softball is not an Olympic sport. Not enough contries have a national team to qualify that sport for the Olympics.

Hal,

You might want to recheck your facts on this one. The only 2 countries in the Olympics that do not have Men's fastpitch National teams which compete in ISF competitions is Taiwan and China. Everyone else has pretty strong national teams. In fact, most places still have better men's teams than women's teams (Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Denmark, Argentina, Czech Republic, Great Britian just to name a couple). men's softball has not been in the Olympics for one reason: baseball. Now that baseball is out, this would be the prime time to get men's softball into the games but, it won't happen. Women's softball is the primary focus of ISF (with ASA help).

Bill

Originally Posted by Hillhouse

Hal,

You might want to recheck your facts on this one. The only 2 countries in the Olympics that do not have Men's fastpitch National teams which compete in ISF competitions is Taiwan and China. Everyone else has pretty strong national teams. In fact, most places still have better men's teams than women's teams (Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Denmark, Argentina, Czech Republic, Great Britian just to name a couple). men's softball has not been in the Olympics for one reason: baseball. Now that baseball is out, this would be the prime time to get men's softball into the games but, it won't happen. Women's softball is the primary focus of ISF (with ASA help).

Bill

Hey Bill,

Several years ago somebody (I want to say Bobby Simpson) told me there was a minimum number of countries that had to field a competitive national team for any sport to be considered (qualify) for the Olympics. Womens softball, at that time, had just enough and Men's not quite enough. I believe that was said just prior to the Olympics in Greece.

Instructors from the USA and other countries had to assist the Greeks with putting together a 'competitive' national softball team or there would have been no Women's softball in that Olympics. I guess the host country has to field a competitive team in every sport (????)

I would imagine Baseball is played in more than enough countries to qualify but I still dont understand why that sport is being dropped. Is it an issue of one contry dominating baseball too?

Originally Posted by halskinner

Hey Bill,

Several years ago somebody (I want to say Bobby Simpson) told me there was a minimum number of countries that had to field a competitive national team for any sport to be considered (qualify) for the Olympics. Womens softball, at that time, had just enough and Men's not quite enough. I believe that was said just prior to the Olympics in Greece.

Instructors from the USA and other countries had to assist the Greeks with putting together a 'competitive' national softball team or there would have been no Women's softball in that Olympics. I guess the host country has to field a competitive team in every sport (????)

I would imagine Baseball is played in more than enough countries to qualify but I still dont understand why that sport is being dropped. Is it an issue of one contry dominating baseball too?

I'm not sure what the heck Bobby Simpson is talking about. The ISF uses regional championships to determine Olympic particiapants in addition to the top 3 (I think) from the women's ISF worlds. In men's softball, the ISF world championship teams are comprised of winners of the regional tournaments: Pan Am games, European championships, All Africa games, Asian games, etc. The European championships just concluded at the beginning of August with Czech, Denmark and Great britian finishing top 3 respectively and earning the Euro berths to the ISF Worlds. However, there were 8 teams in the tournament and the Netherlands failed to qualify for the ISF Worlds (men) in 2009, which is held in Saskatoon Sask. The top 5 from Pan Am games qualify for the ISF worlds from this region. Although, to add more confusion to the mix... men's softball was eliminated from the Pan am games for the 2007 games. However, there was still a Pan Am "qualifier" which was used as the ISF qualifier in 2006. The USA men will be lucky to finish top 6 at next year's ISF.