Softball was just a hobby for many people until the ASA (American Softball Association) decided to change that. The ASA wanted to recognize softball as a competitive sport worldwide and be a part of the Olympic program. The ASA would continue to be a hard working organization through the ups and downs of the sport of softball. (“USA Softball”). The IOC (International Olympic Committee) would eventually help the ASA overcome its biggest obstacle and give softball its big break (“USA Softball”). The ASA would later find out the success of the U.S. team might also cripple their big break as well. The involvement of the U.S. has led to the controversy of softball being an Olympic game.
The ASA was the blue-collar worker for the sport of softball (“USA Softball”). Without the desire and drive from the ASA, softball probably wouldn’t have been recognized (“USA Softball”). The hard work the ASA put into getting softball recognized paid off in 1996 when softball got its big break; The IOC was including softball into the Olympic games (“USA Softball”)(SV; SV). The ASA didn’t stop at getting softball recognized; they wanted to ensure their team would be successful, so they constructed a roster filled with the majority of softball’s best athletes. In order to prove that softball had a right to be a part of the Olympic program, the ASA needed a team of athletes that could display consistent excellence (“USA Softball”).
The USA Olympic team did more than prove that softball was worthy of the Olympic games; they were extremely successful in each Olympic games they participated in; some may say that they were too successful (“USA Softball”) (SV; SV; SV). Some may argue that the 2004 USA team was the most successful Olympic softball team (“USA S...
... middle of paper ...
...8): 10-12
Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
“International Softball Federation-ISF.” International Softball Federation-ISF. N.p., n.d.
Web. 13 March. 2014.
Maudin, Tom. “No Joy with Olympic Softball Decision.” SoftballWest Magazine. 1 Sept.
2013. Print. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
Moran, Alison. “Token Female.” 2020 Olympics: Softball and Baseball, After All?. N.p.,
10 Dec 2013. Web. 3 April 2014.
“Pan American Sports Games (sports event)”. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia
Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 13 March 2014.
“USA Softball.” Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 March. 2014.
“WBSC Continues Its Campaign to The Olympic Games.” Softball Magazine. N.p., n.d.
Web. 28 Feb. 2014.
“Wrestling, Baseball-Softball and Squash Make IOC Shortlist for 2020 Olympic
Inclusion.” Fox News. Fox News Network. 29 May 2013. Web. 11 March. 2014.
I’m sure some people have never really taken a closer look in the extraordinary world of softball. I'm certain that not too many people have gotten to know who invented softball,how you play,ruled or maybe what is the ball made of. In these few pages you can take a better look into the world of softball.
Texas Tech has proven that hitting a softball is way harder to hit than a baseball. A softball pitcher is very close to you at the pitcher's mound. If you are in the batter's box it feels like they are right on top of you especially since most softball pitchers can be up to about 6 feet in height. It is scientifically proven that a softball player has less time to react to the ball because of the distance and speed of the pitch. Also, softball pitchers not only throw hard, but they also throw tricky pitches to hit. The pitch that rises upwards is called a rise ball. When this pitch comes in, most coaches will say just let it go instead of risking this pitch. Baseball players throw breaking balls, but unlike in softball they don't suddenly leap up right as you're going to swing at it. Pitchers in softball can also throw a curve ball that curves away from the batter but still in the strike zone. A screw ball moves closer to the batter. Same as a curve ball it is still in the strike zone just right on the edge of it. Softball players throw many more change ups than in baseball. Change ups catch the player off guard causing them to swing and become frustrated with themselves. As you can tell softball pitchers don't mess around using every inch of the plate to pitch the ball and strike the batter
The controversy in Berlin Olympic Games was that the some of the Jews excluded from the Olympic team were actually world class athletes. The athletes left Germany, along with other Jewish athletes, to resume their sports careers abroad.The Nazis also disqualified Gypsies.The Olympics were intended to be an exercise in goodwill among all nations emphasizing racial equality in the area of sports competition. But the Nazis thought that only the Aryans should participate in the Olympics games to represent Germany.Then after that controversy then the committee of the Games wanted to move the Olympic Games to another country.This was because usually the U.S. got the most medals because they sent the most athletes.
Though the practices performed within softball literacy do not immediately seem as if they should be considered a literacy practice, according to two of the six propositions about the nature of literacy, it is. Not only does it involve the physical performance from a play, but also includes formal writings, new rules and regulations, and offer different rules in different countries. I think softball should be counted as a literacy practice because it appeals to Barton and Hamilton’s propositions and includes artifacts that make it a community and artifacts that provide the players with essential people skills.
A person that would like to play professional ball will choose baseball because there is a professional big league, such as the St. Louis Cardinals, but in softball that opportunity is not available. Baseball is played on more levels than softball. It is played on the professional, international, Olympic, college, high school, and little league levels. If a player is fortunate enough to make it to the professional level, he can make millions of dollars.
Over the past fifteen to twenty years women's fastpitch softball popularity has continued to grow and spread internationally. By the mid-1990s it was played in more than 85 countries under the eye of the International Softball Federation (ISF). It has become increasingly popular among women at the youth and collegiate levels. More than 630 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member institutions sponsor women's softball programs, and national championships for women are held in all three NCAA sports divisions (Encarta, 1998). In 1991 women's fastpitch softball was selected to debut as a medal sport in the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Columbia, Georgia. The U.S. won the gold medal in the 1996 Olympic Games due to a good defense and great hitters on the team. Even though defense and pitching are critical and vital parts of the game, a successful team must have an effective offense to win the game. Among all the standout hitters on the U.S. Olympic team, two of the best are Dot Richardson and Lisa Fernadez. Both Lisa and Dot have picture-perfect swings, which have made them very productive throughout their careers. Today there is a women's professional fastpitch softball league. Interest in the Women's Professional Softball League (WPSL) has been increasing for the last three years and continues to grow each year.
Many women have taken up the positions of engineers, factory workers and many more jobs normally occupied by men. Many women that wanted to help with the war effort had worked, bought war bonds, donated clothing and foods and anything else needed to help and support our troops. Some women now had the opportuinty to play baseball and still help promote help for the war. However the idea of women playing baseball and acting like men was completely absurd during that day and age. That year of attendance of The AAGPBL approached one million, with the players completely defined the image of a respectable lady, the girls played ball with a new baseball of fast pitching, stolen bases and injuries, epically skin abrasions from sliding to bases in short skirts. Though the female ball players were skilled and athletic, their required uniform were one piece dresses and had to wear makeup at all times so that it was a reminder to the spectators that these were indeed women playing in the field( ). No player was allowed to drink, smoke, date, cut their hair short or be seen in public with slacks or shorts. Every player were required to join and had to endure “charm schools” where they were obligated to learn ladylike behavior. Though there were many limitations and requirements for the female players this new form of
Now if you're anything like me, you know that when you start a sport for the first time. You have questions like my first question, “what in the world is softball”. Well now that I am a”softball”player I can tell you all there is to know about softball. Softball is a game between two teams with two sections to the field in field and outfield. There is the pitcher, the catcher, 1st,2nd,and3rd baseman, shortstop, and left,right,and center field.
The WWII time period was a hard time for American families. The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League helped to change the rights of women in the industrial world. Men took care of their responsibilities and served their time in war, but in the meantime, the world-winning women of the AAGPBL stormed the country by surprise. This league was a major success in our history and will leave its legacy among baseball fans for years to come.
As Paige and I walked across the field towards our team I felt euphoric. Four long years of work, sweat, and dedication had led up to this night. It was the perfect end to my senior year of softball. The scoreboard just beyond the mass of sweaty, screaming softball players read 15-0. This was the final score of the district championship game, a game my team had never won before. The applause and cheers of the fans echoed in my ears for hours afterward
Since the sport first emerged, baseball and America have shared the same values, responded to the same events, and struggled with the same social and economic issues. To learn of the ideals concerning the sport of baseball in America, is to know the heart and mind of America. Baseball developed before the Civil War but did not achieve professional status until the 1870s (The Baseball Glove, 2004). In 1871, the National Association of Professional Baseball Players was formed. Unfortunately, the organization ran into financial hardships and was abandoned in 1875.
In May 1932, Fanny noticed that there was no actual league for softball, unlike her male counterparts. So she helped to create the Provincial Women’s Softball Union of Québec, she served as the president. This league is a huge deal, currently many softball players in Quebec and Ontario alike have played under them, either on a team or a tournament. This league was revolutionary at its time, it allowed many girls from all over Quebec to finally participate in softball. The PWSUQ was one way Fanny established herself in the community of sport. Another way was her journalism career for the globe and mail through her column “Sports Reel” she was able to defend women’s sports. It wasn’t uncommon for male writers to write in and express negative opinions of women in sport. Fanny was witty and always had something to say back to them. As insignificant this may seem it was actually a very important event. Through her column Bobbie was able to change the perspectives of many men and women alike of women in
Ring, Jennifer (2009). Stolen bases: Why american girls don’t play baseball. Chicago Il: University of Illinois Press.
Lesko, J. (2005). League History. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association. Retrieved for this paper Mar 20, 2014 from, http://www.aagpbl.org/index.cfm/pages/league/12/league-history
Women are being allowed to participate now, including professional leagues such as the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Women in sports, especially softball and basketball, have become a big-time business. World War II is when the basis of women’s professional sports began. While the men were overseas fighting the war against the Nazis and Germans, the women entertained the people who stayed back by playing baseball.