8-26-2009

Editorial written by Rayburn Hesse of SpySoftball.com

In response to a question from SPY, the International Softball Federation disclosed today that IOC President Rogge has informed ISF there is no possibility that the IOC Congress will consider reinstating softball in 2016 when the Congress convenes in October.

ISF advised SPY:  “with regards to the IOC Session in October, Jacques Rogge has, unfortunately, told all five of us candidate sports (meaning, the ones other than golf and rugby) that they will only consider those two sports that the Executive Board recommended and that if one or none of those two fail to get enough votes for 2016, the Session will not consider any of the others (baseball, karate, roller sports, softball, or squash).”

After the IOC Executive Board chose rugby and golf at its meeting in Berlin earlier this month, a flurry of rumors circulated through the softball world, with the fury of a Chicago snow storm, alleging that softball could be reinstated if either rugby, golf or both were rejected by the full IOC when it meets in October in Copenhagen.  An unauthorized source implied that ISF President Don Porter would lead the charge.  Not so, says ISF.

USA Softball has also been informed and advised SPY: “President Rogge has indicated that the vote in October will be taken in alphabetical order on Golf and Rugby. Secret ballots will be distributed and counted. The first sport will be balloted and then the second. The vote will not be revealed until both votes are taken. Rogge does not want the vote of the first sport influence the vote on the second; hence, the delay in announcing the vote on the first sport. Rogge has stated that if either sport fails the discarded five would not be able to make a presentation nor would a vote be taken to include any sport other than Golf orRugby.”

Did Porter Count the House?

Many years ago, when I accompanied Nelson Rockefeller to a series of meetings on Capitol Hill, I was embarrassed during a briefing to realize NAR knew more about the disposition of the full Committee than I did.  I had canvassed only the leadership.  Always count the house, Rocky advised.

Looking back to the events of the four years since softball was ousted on a tie vote in Singapore, the BackSoftball campaign was always climbing uphill. SPY gives Porter et al solid marks for an exhausting effort.  But, you could have gotten better odds on the 100 surviving their charge at Balaclava.

Porter is politically savvy.  The arithmetic says softball is played in about 130 countries, but Porter knows that only a dozen countries have ever participated in Olympic softball and that softball is not played at the national level in many of those countries, ie, not at the level seen in USA, Japan, Australia, Canada etc.  I think Porter counted the house, and knew softball did not yet have a majority in the IOC, despite a redoubling of effort by ISF, and national organizations like USA Softball.

There were numerous harbingers.

In the immediate aftermath of the Singapore vote, Rogge made the first of several critical comments about softball, culminating in his Beijing interview with Bob Costas in which, asked about softball being rejected at Singapore, he opined that softball had not done an adequate job of convincing IOC members – comments he directed at ISF.  Porter responded with the BackSoftball campaign.

At Torino, during the Winter Olympics in 2006, the IOC was asked to reconsider the vote on softball.  There was a procedural vote required first, to determine whether the IOC was willing to reconsider the Singapore vote; the vote was 52-48 against.

Pessimists began doubting the success of BackSoftball when Rogge announced in March that the Executive Board would consider the seven sports which were candidates for inclusion in 2016 at a special meeting in Berlin in August – at which the Board would select just two to present to the full membership in October.  Looking at the composition of the Executive Board, observers speculated that softball might fare better in a vote by the full IOC.

The IOC Executive Board consists of 15 members including Rogge (Belgium).  The Vice Presidents are from Greece, Japan, Germany, People’s Republic of China.  The members are Singapore, Italy, South Africa, Norway, Switzerland (2), Mexico, Namibia, Morocco, and Puerto Rico.  Only three of the fifteen play competitive softball on an international scale – Japan, China, Puerto Rico – and softball never got more than two votes on four different ballots in Berlin.  (The IOC does not disclose actual votes)

A possible indicator of EB sentiment was noted in June when ISF led the presentation to the Executive Board.  By all accounts, the presentation was well prepared and included some Olympians (none from the United States).  Observers said that each of the other six sports also made 20-minute presentations – but their advocates were also questioned for up to 20 minutes by EB members.  No questions were asked about softball.

The rumor mill after Singapore held that softball was affected by IOC negative opinions about baseball (scandals) and that members linked the two sports.  There were numerous observers at Sydney who thought softball should be expanded from eight to twelve teams, to include another European country, one from Africa, and one or more from Oceana and Asia.  After Beijing, Porter repeatedly lauded Japan’s victory over the USA as the “dawn of a new era.”  But, even a casual flip-through the Olympic guide showed that softball, at least at the Olympic level, was played by twelve countries, with perhaps four being consistently competitive.

Seasoned observers like ASA’s executive director Ron Radigonda believe IOC could expand the 28-sport ceiling and still stay under the 10,000-plus ceiling on the number of athletes.  There is a 2014 consequence to the Berlin decision.  IOC has launched a series of new World Youth games, starting with Singapore next year, and another city in 2014.  At present, the venues include the 26 games set for London in 2012 with the option of adding the two sports, rugby and golf, if they pass muster in October.  Softball is not on the drawing boards for these events, which could certainly grow our sport.

For the immediate future, softball is no longer an active competitor on the Olympic scene, even though it remains, in IOC parlance, an Olympic sport.  As the old sheriff said to Butch and Sundance, “It’s over.”

BUT SOFTBALL HAS A VIABLE FUTURE

Without the Olympics, there are serious questions about financing the future.  But, there is a solid base for expanding our sport.

Readers should remember that softball was a strong national and international sport before the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.  There were some great teams. 

Before someone called the Athens squad the “dream team,” that appellation was applied to a group of players who dominated the Pan Am games in the Eighties.  Kathy Arendsen pitched two perfect games.  In the late Eighties, we competed at a junior version of the Pan Am games, sending the champion Gordon’s Panthers down to South America – with such future stars as Fernandez, Inouye, Weiman et al.  Recall the international cup in Nova Scotia where the Asians were determined to beat the USA;  catcher Karen Johns spotted them using a pitching machine set at about 70 mph to prepare them for Lisa Fernandez; Lisa did not throw a fast ball but an assemblage of breaking pitches and the USA came away with the title.  We raised the bar long before Atlanta.

This past weekend, our three Olympic pitchers – Cat Osterman, Jennie Finch and Monica Abbott – and a strong cast of players from four teams – competed in the 2009 National Pro Fastpitch championship.  Many of us got to see the very well-played games, thanks to NPF’s hookup with MLB’s video streaming setup.  The video and audio quality were not up to College World Series standards but the very fact that they were broadcast is a major step upward, if you know the history of pro softball. Alas, the stands in Akron were sparsely filled, just like the Gold Nationals championship, played to about 40-50 people.

By contrast, the stands in Williamsport for the Little League World Series are chock full and ESPN has assigned major talent.  The broadcasters are gushing over the some-day prospects of boys 12 years old; we’ve got girls playing from 10U to 18U who are just as accomplished but they’re not playing before national audiences.

We fill the stands for the Women’s College World Series.  The Pac 10 clashes between Arizona and UCLA are played before full houses, as are a few other regional clashes.  The Canadians fill the stadium in Surrey when Team Canada plays, especially when the opponent is the USA or Australia.  We need better promotion at all levels.

We need to expand the number of teams which enter international competitions.  We need to expand the number of professional teams.  We need to send American teams abroad to build the foreign spectator base.

This menu requires financing, never easily obtained.  We need to look beyond the equipment manufacturers (and parents).  Where are the companies in the USA who can support teams like they do in Japan (the way Raybestos once did)?

We need a campaign to induce broader media coverage.  The Washington Post has never been softball-friendly; it published a story on the Berlindecision, totally devoted to how golf would fare at the Olympic level with Tiger leading the USA.  The Post covers the Little League but not a word about the NPF.  Other major media are just as negligent.

We need to sell our sport – here and abroad.

Don’t lament our loss.  Our girls elevated the way this game is played throughout the world, most especially at the Olympics where they set a high standard for excellence.

Politically, we can try to convince the IOC to expand the number of venues, starting with the 2014 Youth games.  But, with or without the IOC, we have an excellent foundation to build on – nationally and internationally.  While still disappointed that ISF’s World Youth Games did not include a USAnational team, the games in Prague attracted teams from countries which have never competed in the Olympics.

The only limit on the growth of our sport is our imagination!

Courtesy of www.spysoftball.com