shagpal wrote:I think the ncaa priority is prolly promoting the game thru broadcast media more than any other agenda. it's about the money, the lack of it, and the potential for it. I think more than any other female team sport, fastpitch softball has the greatest future potential for financial success for women as a professional team sport, more so than women's basketball or soccer.
Media coverage is minimal until the the playoffs. Yes, some games get covered, but just how much of a market share do the live (when they are) broadcasts actually get? Now the question is how much of a general market does it receive? The basketball playoff is what carries the broadcasts abilities of other NCAA championships.
IMO, the agenda is control, by the coaches, not the bat. They want a locked-down standard that they can contest, not umpire's judgment.
the world series is anything but a world competition. the true world sport (mens) is football (soccer, not the american verision), ie the world cup.
Like every other sport, including softball, it all depends upon personal preferences and considerations. I would not pick up my head from the obituaries to watch the playing of soccer at any level. To me, the game is just plain boring. There are people in thie world who feel the same about softball. That does not depreciate the sport, just means that some people don't like it.
women's softball has a real chance to become the true world team sport
It already is, but since you don't see it on TV, you cannot see that and many americans use TV exposure as the measure of popularity when in reallity, it is simple a measure of marketing.
the exciting future competition will come from asian countries like china, korea, and japan, and latin american countries where they are big baseball fans. the olympics was and is a joke for baseball and softball.
Women's softball has been one of the leading draws in team sports at the summer olympics and the IOC know it. Whether you like it or not, the elimination of softball and baseball from the Olympics was purely political.
right now, unless a lady is a tennis player or golfer, or danica, there's not much reward in professional sports for women (please lmk if I left out any sport). there is a real lack of female sports heros, most coming out of ice skating and gymnasics. I understand your desire as an umpire and a male, but your view may be narrow and selfish. I'd like to see the sport go big time for the ladies, and w/ broacast TV going 500 channels digital, there might just be a chance for that. I foresee a future FP Softball channel. I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just being the devils advocate towards your position to liven up the discussion. what is your vision of the future for FP softball as a sport? the NFHS forum is down and I'm no basketball fan.
Selfish? I have no horse in this race except the intergrity of the sport and officials who umpire it, one of which I am not.
And then there is the problem I have with general stupidity and things like this surely qualify, no matter how well they fit into this country's socialist swing.
