While perusing the internet for men’s fastpitch news today, I ran across an article entitled:

“Why aren’t women sports groups lobbying for a return of softball at the Olympics?”by Evan Weiner, Business of Sports Examiner.

Evan Weiner, a New York City-based journalist and speaker, is recognized as a global expert on the business of sports as well as emerging technologies such as broadband. He is also the author of the book, “The Business & Politics of Sports: A Collection of Columns by Evan Weiner“

It struck me that we could — and should — be asking the same question about the men’s game. I started writing a quick email response to the author of the article, and, as is often the case, wound up with something that was anything but “brief”. So in the end, I decided to share it with readers, here at the Morning Brief.

My letter to Mr. Weiner, at Business of Sports Examiner:

Mr. Evan Weiner,

I read your article today, “Why aren’t women sports groups lobbying for a return of softball at the Olympics?” and had a few thoughts I thought I would share with you. By way of background, I host a website providing coverage to Men’s Fastpitch softball, www.fastpitchwest.com and a companion site that provides internet radio broadcasts for their games, www.ballparkradio.com

The answer to the question posed in your article is that there is a well focused effort on the part of women’s sports to restore softball to the Olympics, via the ISF (International Softball Federation): http://www.internationalsoftball.com/backsoftball/index.html (www.Backsoftball.com)

The effort has been spearheaded by ISF President Don Porter, as detailed in this press release: http://www.internationalsoftball.com/backsoftball/pressrelease.pdf

That said, a word about MEN’S fastpitch softball:

A reaction I often get when talking about men’s fastpitch is “Oh, do men play fastpitch softball too?”. The answer is, yes, of course, with a long history dating back decades, including the 1950’s and 1960’s when it was in its heyday.

The closest thing the men’s game comes to the “Olympics” is the once-every-four-years World Championships. The next competition is slated for this summer in Saskatoon, Canada, with 16 countries participating. http://www.2009worldsmensfastpitch.com/index.php

This competition comes on the heels of the “junior” Olympic-style competition for 19 and under boys, hosted by the ISF in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada this past summer, an event that I had the privilege to attend and broadcast via internet radio. Twelve countries competed, including three from North America, two from South America, two from Europe, two from Oceania, two from Africa, and one from the Far East.

While the advent of the women’s faspitch programs, both collegiate and Olympic has been great for the game of softball, and certainly women’s softball, the sport men’s fastpitch remains something of a red-headed stepchild.

Baseball is obviously more popular, and widespread, especially here in the U.S. From what I read, the doping problems are a big part of why baseball is not an Olympic sport. I note that the ISF separated their efforts to get women’s softball back in the Olympics from the groups pushing baseball. I think you can draw your own conclusions about why that happened, but it is noteworthy that the “Backsoftball” group is emphasizing the fact that women’s softball does not have drug use issues (like baseball).

Your article points up a number of problems that baseball has in getting back in the Olympics, including scheduling problems in the middle of the MLB season.

I would argue that the Olympics should reinstate women’s softball, for many of the cogent reasons listed on the BackSoftball website. But I would take it a step further and suggest that BOTH men’s and women’s fastpitch should be in the Olympics.

First, men’s fastpitch is an amateur sport, in the truest sense of the word, and better suited for Olympic competition. Second, and maybe the most pragmatic reason — the venue question. It is my understanding that one of the reasons that baseball was dropped, is that not all countries have a large baseball stadium in which to host Olympic baseball. Certainly, that is not a problem for cities like Chicago, hosting here in the U.S. But we have only one vote with regard to the restoration of softball as an Olympic sport. (a vote which, ironically, wasn’t even cast last time around when the sport was eliminated, due to a perceived conflict of interest by the member holding that vote). However, the venue cost factor looms large for other countries outside the US, and one that mitigates against having baseball as an Olympic sport. The cost of building a softball facility for men AND women jointly is far less than a baseball stadium.

Not so with men’s fastpitch – the venue required is smaller, and much less expensive. The men and women’s games are very similar, and could be played at the same facilities, simply moving the base stakes back a few feet, along with the outfield fencing, which is usually the portable “safety fences” at most locations anyway.

Your article makes a good point that the Olympic committee wants “stars” to participate, if baseball is to be an Olympic sport. But that is not happening in the present state of affairs with Major League Baseball unwilling to disrupt its schedule in the summer months. If you think about it, baseball as a sport has taken a different direction, via the World Baseball Classic , that provides for worldwide competition on a larger scale than it would in the Olympics, with the World Baseball Classic. http://web.worldbaseballclassic.com/index.jsp

I would answer the question posed in your article by noting that there are women’s sports groups lobbying — in a very profession, organized fashion — for the return of softball at the Olympics, for women, most notably the ISF and the women’s Olympic teams and players who have competed in the sport to date.

But I would pose a question of my own — Why aren’t men’s sports groups lobbying to introduce MEN’S fastpitch softball as an Olympic sport?

We may not have the star power of baseball, but from the standpoint of the Olympic movement and ideals, we also don’t have the steroid problems that come along with someone like Alex Rodriguez. What we do have is a tremendously exciting sports played by amateurs in the true Olympic tradition, who play the game for love of the sport, and the thrill of competition.

Al Doran, of Alsfastball.com will tell you that his email list for Men’s fastpitch news has grown into the thousands, and all without the benefit of major media exposure. Those who have discovered the sport have become its biggest advocates.

The men’s fastpitch softball players from 16 countries who will compete in the ISF World Championships this summer in Saskatoon are largely unknown to sports fans outside the fastpitch community itself, seen by some as a “niche” sport. But that can be said of many sports that currently enjoy the opportunity of the Olympic showcase. Every Olympiad reveals to the sporting world unheralded athletes who rise to the occasion, and become known the the rest of the world when they step up onto that medal stand. The list of Olympic athletes toiling in relative obscurity is legion – but so is the list of athletes who have risen about that obscurity because of the spotlight of Olympic competition. Countless times we have seen that story showcased in pieces by Jim McKay, Bob Costas or shows like HBO’s Real Sports.

There are Olympic caliber athletes in men’s fasptitch softball competing right now, and deserving of that opportunity to compete for Olympic medals, as are the women of the sport.

The excitement and high level competition of men’s fastpitch is, to much of the world, a well kept secret. I invite you to let it out.

Best regards,
Jim Flanagan
Editor, Fastpitchwest.com
Executive Producer, Ballparkradio.com

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Editor’s note: As we suggested before, ……………….
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