In early April, I wrote an article about my strange relationship with softball. In that article, I spoke specifically about college softball. Live college games are easily accessible because many divisions that dominate the sport, such as the SEC and the PAC-12, feature free streaming on any device. Many college softball games are also shown live on ESPN or its sister networks. The 2015 Women’s College World Series Championship had an average viewership of 1,850,000 a game, in addition to the roughly 3,000 people that watched each game at the stadium in Oklahoma City.
Since April, I have learned so much more about the world of professional softball, including the U.S.A. Softball Women’s National Team and the National Pro Fastpitch League (NPF). These worlds are exponentially less recognized and less accessible. A “good” turnout at an NPF game is about 200 people, for instance. Remote fans have to pay for live-streamed games, which feature a shaky broadcast system and inexperienced commentators.
However, summer 2016 was historic for both the Women’s National Team and the NPF, proving that professional softball has merit. In May, the newly formed professional fastpitch team the Scrap Yard Dawgs, based in The Woodlands, Texas, announced a six-year contract with superstar Monica Abbott. The contract is worth $1 million, and is not only the largest in the history of the NPF, but also the largest amount paid by any American professional franchise to any active female athlete in any team sport. Abbott, a left-handed pitcher, was a standout at the University of Tennessee before she began her professional career in 2007. She holds the record for most NCAA Division I career strikeouts, game wins, and shutouts.
With her dynamic social media presence, she endeavors to empower young women to follow their dreams. Abbott’s groundbreaking contract proves to women that they too can make a living by playing sports, just like professional male athletes. Abbott is also fighting against ageism in professional sports. At 31 years old, she is certainly evidence that age is only a number. She can still strike out the best young players in the nation.
Of course, everybody knows that the American U.S.A. women dominated this year’s summer Olympics. However, I have already set my sights set on the women who will dominate in Tokyo 2020. After an eight-year hiatus, baseball and softball were reintroduced to the Olympic games in August, as decided by an Olympic Committee vote. This vote may be due to Japan’s fanatical obsession with baseball and softball, as well as the fact that it poses one of the biggest threats to the U.S.A.’s quest for gold in these sports.
In fact, the U.S.A. Softball Women’s National Team travelled to Japan twice this summer and played games in front of crowds of over 31,000. Though the team took silver to Japan in the Japan Cup earlier this month, the Eagles bested Japan and won gold in the Women’s World Championship in July. I can only imagine how inspiring it will be to a young softball player watching women just like her playing softball on an international stage, and promoted by huge television corporations such as NBC.
Finally, later in August, Rawlings, a sports equipment manufacturing company and the creator of the MLB Gold Glove Award, announced that it would award the first Gold Glove to a professional women’s softball player. A. J. Andrews was recognized as the recipient of the award at the annual NPF championship banquet. Andrews, an outfielder, was a four-year starter at LSU (my favorite college team!) and only began her professional career in 2015. Two of her insane and gravity-defying catches were featured on SportsCenter’s Daily Top 10 Plays this summer, even though professional softball games are rarely broadcast on national television. The NPF continues its endeavor to be further recognized by baseball-oriented companies such as Rawlings.
Softball has definitely gained national attention in these past few months. Women’s softball players, and women athletes in general, should feel inspired by the events of this summer. Women’s sports are increasingly appearing in the public eye, and women athletes are increasingly recognized for their incredible talent. I cannot wait to see how women’s athletics will grow in the years to come.
Image credits: excellesports.com, espn.com, and ASA/USA Softball