Taking Softball Out Of The Olympics!!!!!!!

[SoftballGirl#18]

I have a question, who is it that decided to take softball out of the olympics? Did other countries have a say in any of this? And USA kicks butt in almost every sport so are they going to take out other sports? Because wouldn't you still play softball if there was only ONE "unbeatable" team that lost to Japan this year! I don't get it can some one explain please

 

[bgecoach]

can't explain it... but hey, at least they're keeping the sport (i use the term sport loosely) where they dance around with a ribbon tied to a stick

 

[shockcoach]

can't explain it... but hey, at least they're keeping the sport (i use the term sport loosely) where they dance around with a ribbon tied to a stick

As a friend of mine told me last week, "It's not a real sport unless you have defense."

And hey...my girls and I actually enjoyed the rhythmic gymnastics.
It's the equestrian events that I don't understand.

 

[sluggers]

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) decides which sports are played. The media made it out to be that the problem was USA's dominance in the sport. I don't think that is really the issue.

Realistically, only a very few people care about softball as a sport. It is hard to justify building a multi-million dollar stadium which is used for 4 weeks and then abandoned for a sport that has only a minor following even in its "home" country.

A host city has to have the facilities to host all Olympic sports. Cities don't mind building or refurbishing a multi-use stadium for soccer, swimming and track, but building stadiums for bsseball and softball is a problem. After the Olympics, they have little, if any, use. Even in the US, the softball stadium was converted to a minor league baseball stadium right after the Atlanta Olympics. I suspect the softball stadium in Beijing will be leveled in a few weeks (Of course, the cities also have to build a velodrome for cycling, but that is another matter.)

Second, few countries have a viable softball programs. The teams in the Olympics have always been Japan/Netherlands/Canada/USA/Australia/China/Chinese Taipei.

 

[sru]

I don't buy the argument that they are removing it because the US dominates. Other olympic events can be seen in the same manner.

We had a chance to host what was call the Tri Nations Cup this summer. It was a day of exhibition games featuring the Canadian, Venezualian and Australian olympic teams. My 11 year old got to mingle with all of the players, get autographs, take pictures and watch olympic caliber ball sitting in the bleachers, 12 feet from the catcher. It was an unbelievable day that she will never forget. These players are her heroes (especially Bay-Regula, the Canadian pitcher and Cumbstone, the Canadian catcher). She was completely bummed out after hearing that this was the last olympics for softball. Her dream was to play for the Canadian Olympic team.

Its a big hit against softball. You don't get a chance to sit on the couch and watch a game with your kid. The olympics gave you that opportunity.

 

[Hillhouse]

I still disagree with Sluggers on this. Sorry. There are many more countries that have strong softball programs which you've forgotten. But due to economics, the Olympics can only take 8 teams. Believe me, I am routinely contacted by softball federations around the world about going to work with their programs. And more and more programs are hiring international coaches to improve softball in their area. For sure there are some countries better than others but, the weaker countries are trying to improve, not eliminate the sport from the games.

The facilities in most countries (Greece is a bad example) are used after Olympic games are played. Olympics is not the only thing national teams play for. There are Pan Am games, Asian games, European Championships, etc. All of these events are 'big deals' in those areas of the world. I can almost guarantee and promise you that China will keep their softball field and use it as their National team headquarters and training facility.

However, there are a lot of ill informed Olympic voters. Many people who get votes do not vote on what's best for the games, rather they are being lobbied. It's not much different than Politics in Washington. Many of the people voting were not informed there is a MAJOR difference (both playing and governing bodies) between softball and baseball. And the IOC wanted rid of baseball more than ANYTHING, due to steroid scandals and the inability to get the MLB players on National rosters.