- Apr 16, 2013
- 1,113
- 83
Ha... Cannon, I'm not Clay over here. Shhhh. 
I think this article "rings a bell" for parents of girls that play baseball. I think the died in the wool softball parents see it in a tone that it wasn't meant to be. Heck... where do I even start with it.
So, my daughter, 10, is a baseball player. I post here because it's nice to be able to talk about my "DD" and openly say the word "her". They are similar games and before the 60/90 field, are very similar. However, let me give you a quote I was told on Sunday. "Coach XYZ said no girl will ever step foot on his field." This was during a conversation about why my DD doesn't play softball. "Well, you know she won't be allowed to play in HS right?" Well, no I didn't know that. If she's good enough to make the team, then she should make the team. I hear this a lot though. "She has to switch to softball." That's why the title of the article rings such a bell. Our DD's are often given no choice, forced to switch. I have no idea if my DD will be good enough to make the middle school, and HS team. If she is though, I hope we don't have a misogynistic coach that holds onto the ancient notion of, "Softball is for girls, baseball is for boys, get off my field."
My DD just loves the sport. I try to get her to play softball often, and she has played both rec and travel. As a 10yo she was given an open invitation to play as a catcher for a 14u team. She does like practicing with the older girls, and LOVES playing with girls... but wants to play baseball. Right now she is good, very good. My personal opinion is that will translate great to the softball field someday. HOWEVER, if my DD is good enough, and wants to keep playing the game, she shouldn't be denied that. So, this article is coming from the perspective that most girls are forced into softball.
BTW, a few weekends ago my DD played on the first ever (as far as we know) all girls 10u team in a tournament in LA. Against the boys that is. 10 girls from 8 states came together to play baseball. It was one of the best weekends my DD has ever had. She's wanted to have female teammates for so long now, even if just one. We'd like to try and get together a group of girls from the eastern half of the US for a more regional team. However, where would I even post that? God help me if I posted that on one of the baseball sites. When I asked some of the parents of good TB girls around here they basically laughed... because baseball isn't a girls sport. :-/
So, you can say baseball is a sexist sport, or softball is a sexist sport. We all know what would happen to a boy if he tried out for the "girls' softball team". You've got to look through the eyes of a girl baseball player. I'm quite sure many here will find fault with my thoughts on this. I pretty much feel like the outsider whether I'm here or on a baseball forum. Only one forum has made me feel at home discussing my DD's baseball playing. I do like it here but, softball is a different game, so there's not much I can say here either.
BTW, the girl player in Florida that was mentioned is Chelsea Baker. She's on her varsity team, and finished the season with a 0.79 ERA. My DD intends to follow in her footsteps. She throws the knuckleball as well, although not as her primary pitch at this point. (She can still bring some heat at this age.) We also went to the Team USA Women's tryout here in Cary, NC this past Saturday. It was pretty awesome watching those women play. There was one woman that stood out. She was an ATHLETE and I'm quite sure she must've played softball at a high level. She was built like a sprinter, could field great, had a very strong arm, and was nailing the ball in BP. I have a feeling she'll make the team. If she played baseball I'll bet money she was a starter on her HS team.
And, let me end with saying, I love watching softball too. Anytime I see a FP game on TV I watch. It's a great game. I just want to support my DD in whatever she wants to do. (Just signed her up for beach volleyball for the summer, should be a fun change!)
I think this article "rings a bell" for parents of girls that play baseball. I think the died in the wool softball parents see it in a tone that it wasn't meant to be. Heck... where do I even start with it.
So, my daughter, 10, is a baseball player. I post here because it's nice to be able to talk about my "DD" and openly say the word "her". They are similar games and before the 60/90 field, are very similar. However, let me give you a quote I was told on Sunday. "Coach XYZ said no girl will ever step foot on his field." This was during a conversation about why my DD doesn't play softball. "Well, you know she won't be allowed to play in HS right?" Well, no I didn't know that. If she's good enough to make the team, then she should make the team. I hear this a lot though. "She has to switch to softball." That's why the title of the article rings such a bell. Our DD's are often given no choice, forced to switch. I have no idea if my DD will be good enough to make the middle school, and HS team. If she is though, I hope we don't have a misogynistic coach that holds onto the ancient notion of, "Softball is for girls, baseball is for boys, get off my field."
My DD just loves the sport. I try to get her to play softball often, and she has played both rec and travel. As a 10yo she was given an open invitation to play as a catcher for a 14u team. She does like practicing with the older girls, and LOVES playing with girls... but wants to play baseball. Right now she is good, very good. My personal opinion is that will translate great to the softball field someday. HOWEVER, if my DD is good enough, and wants to keep playing the game, she shouldn't be denied that. So, this article is coming from the perspective that most girls are forced into softball.
BTW, a few weekends ago my DD played on the first ever (as far as we know) all girls 10u team in a tournament in LA. Against the boys that is. 10 girls from 8 states came together to play baseball. It was one of the best weekends my DD has ever had. She's wanted to have female teammates for so long now, even if just one. We'd like to try and get together a group of girls from the eastern half of the US for a more regional team. However, where would I even post that? God help me if I posted that on one of the baseball sites. When I asked some of the parents of good TB girls around here they basically laughed... because baseball isn't a girls sport. :-/
So, you can say baseball is a sexist sport, or softball is a sexist sport. We all know what would happen to a boy if he tried out for the "girls' softball team". You've got to look through the eyes of a girl baseball player. I'm quite sure many here will find fault with my thoughts on this. I pretty much feel like the outsider whether I'm here or on a baseball forum. Only one forum has made me feel at home discussing my DD's baseball playing. I do like it here but, softball is a different game, so there's not much I can say here either.
BTW, the girl player in Florida that was mentioned is Chelsea Baker. She's on her varsity team, and finished the season with a 0.79 ERA. My DD intends to follow in her footsteps. She throws the knuckleball as well, although not as her primary pitch at this point. (She can still bring some heat at this age.) We also went to the Team USA Women's tryout here in Cary, NC this past Saturday. It was pretty awesome watching those women play. There was one woman that stood out. She was an ATHLETE and I'm quite sure she must've played softball at a high level. She was built like a sprinter, could field great, had a very strong arm, and was nailing the ball in BP. I have a feeling she'll make the team. If she played baseball I'll bet money she was a starter on her HS team.
And, let me end with saying, I love watching softball too. Anytime I see a FP game on TV I watch. It's a great game. I just want to support my DD in whatever she wants to do. (Just signed her up for beach volleyball for the summer, should be a fun change!)
