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[bullsky]

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Is-it-medal-worthy-softball;_ylt=AhoRusPrQ3kFQcqg7ipVLK6de5p4?urn=oly,98446

[uncommonclay]

i've spent a lot more time playing softball than i've spent synchronized diving ...

[bludev03]

[Richyyy]

On a site that's 95% American I might be in the minority, but I think the IOC were actually right to dump softball and baseball from the Olympics. Softball is barely played except in a purely recreational form anywhere outside the US. The US National Team dominate to a ridiculous extent (which isn't true to the same extent in other sports people try to use as a comparison). I don't think it's that great a loss, and I think the only reason softball being removed from the Olympics is being covered so much is that the US is the dominant country. If every single gold medal and major tournament had been won by Outer Mongolia I don't think anyone would be paying the least bit of attention.

Baseball is a slightly more international sport. Various islands and Central American countries could put out a decent team, as could Japan. To some extent it's a victim of being paired with softball and therefore suffering from the connection. But also, the Olympics these days is a competition for the best at every sport, whether amateur, professional or whatever (except for soccer, which is another argument). With baseball, you're never going to get the best, because they're all currently playing in MLB. So it's at best a half-hearted tournament with a bunch of essentially sub-standard teams. So I think that even though it might've partly been thrown out only because it's considered 'the same' as softball just for guys, I still think they were right to get rid of it.

All MHO of course.

[bludev03]

oooops. i guess you can read the article; no need to repeat.

[DRS9]

I think some people hate softball being dropped, because for them, the sport was finally gaining ground in America (with the WCWS, the pro league etc.). They were getting more players interested, and trying to grow the pro league they started. Now they feel as if those girls who had dreams of playing in the O aren't going to play as much because that dream is dead. Personally, I'm not huge on the O, but I do love watching the WCS every year in OKC. For me that's better: it's every year and in OKC. But I do feel sorry for the people involved in softball.

Personally, I feel like the Olympics is the major event for softball players and it's now taken away. Yes, the USA dominated, but if you watch, other teams are getting stronger. Softball in the Olympics was relatively new, so it takes time for teams to form and play well. Has anyone seen the men's basketball right now? They seem to be dominating in some games. And why wouldn't they? It's only ALL professional athletes. Hm compare that to other countries with no pros.

Anyway, I feel like other lesser known sports, (handball? badminton?) should have gone first if something had to go. I mean, at least softball had popularity.

/rant. ;]

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still waiting on the center court app to be next level.

[bludev03]

It's not hard to win a million games if you have Crystal Bustos, Cat Ostroman, Lisa Fernandez, Dot Richardson, Jenny Fitch, Natasha Watley, Monica Abbott, etc on your team....

[UTexRulz23]

While the US are certainly the favorites to win Gold, the US certainly has a worthy challenger. Japan has a great pitcher and they purposefully haven't used her in exhibition games so the US would have a harder time scouting her. She's certainly better than Tincher at Virginia Tech, so that will be a tough game.

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The Houston Comets disbanding will always be the biggest black cloud in the history of the WNBA. Pitiful.

[CRASH]

Softball, like basketball used to be, IS played professionally over seas!

Even with the new pro league here in the States, the money is actually in the oriental countries where it has been played professionally for more than a decade. 96' Olympic Pitcher Michelle Smith (for example) has played in Japan since she graduated college, before the 96' games. The women who play for there countries around the world also spend many months out of every year traveling the world to play each other in sanctioned and non-sanctioned events. Because of this Softball has become the fastest growing sport in the world amongst female athletes. Is it as large as soccer, basketball or volleyball? Not yet. But it's popularity is growing the world over.

Softball was released from the Olympics, because it was lumped in with baseball... a sport that has been losing interest steadily over the last decade. For example... the US didn't even send a baseball team to qualify to play in the 04' Olympics!

I personally hope the softball world wins it's case, and gets re-instated! It is a wonderful game that continues to become more and more competitive as the world is now coming equal to the talent here in the states, much like basketball.

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Ticha, K-Law, DeMya, Bekky and Yo
Forever Monarchs

[CRASH]

[DRS9]

USA hasn't won everything. They lost one of the WCS too.
Don't forgot about the Canadians. They've been winning some games against the pro teams. They have a pretty good pitching.

And yes, softball is pro overseas, but not everywhere. Some European countries have teams and stuff, but the locals are not considered pro. They have a separate job too. Only the foreigners are considered a "professional."

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still waiting on the center court app to be next level.

[neverforget14]

Speaking as a die hard softball fan and former player the loss of softball from the Olympics was devastating to the softball community. The Olympics has been the highlight for the softball world. With a struggling, but growing pro league young girls dream for the Olympics, not the equivalent of the WNBA. Softball is a growing sport in the US and in other countries. The US softball players have become ambassadors of the game by traveling to other countries, such as Africa to conduct clinics. Also there are Olympians from other countries attending top US colleges on softball scholarships. The Dream Team of Basketball used to dominate teams in comparable fashion. Softball needs more than the 16 years it has had to grow wordlwide. It is a complete shame that the game is being taken out because of questionable causes, such as a relationship with baseball and US dominance.

The softball community will not give in. Look for the movement to get softball back and support your fellow female athletes.

[played3on3]

Softball is getting the shaft because it's being lumped together with baseball. Yes the US has won every Gold medal but each time it was harder to do so. That is still only 3 Golds, compare that to something like Ice Dancing which the Russians always win or many Track events which the USA dominates. How is it different? Baseball was losing interest and it seems they didn't want to keep an event just for the women. I hope they win the fight because softball is one of my favorite events.

[Richyyy]

Just as an addendum to what I said above (practically all of which I stick with despite what everyone's said subsequently), I absolutely think softball makes more sense as an Olympic sport than baseball. There was no point in baseball being in the Olympics, but at least softball made sense (somewhat similar to the way women's soccer in the Olympics is worthwhile but the men's tournament is pretty much a waste of time). At least all the players would drive to be there and see it as the pinnacle, and all the best players would be there. Not even remotely the case with baseball.

[Luuuc]

Yeah, if baseball is going to be in the olympics then I say cricket should be in there as well.
At least cricket's world series is actually played between different countries

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Thanks for calling. I wait all night for calls like these.

[BCBG25]

Gotta defend soccer here. While I concede that you don't get ALL the stars, there is some star power, partially because of the 3 players over 23-year old rule.
In the soccer tournament you'll see 2-time World Player of the year in Ronaldinho, mega stars like Messi and budding stars like Alexandre Pato. I don't think a baseball team will even have more than a couple of no-name major leaguers. It's a very niche sport, but there are others that are there just for the heck of it (like handball, seriously, that's the lamest sport ever) and are in no danger of being dropped.

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Kings of the World!

[bullsky]

I just don't find the irony in getting rid of it. It's a sport that is growing world wide, and IMO, could become a major sport at some point in the world. Just because people aren't playing it by a large extent, doesn't mean it can't grow to a larger base.

For example, look at the basketball team from Mali. Hamchetou Maiga has admitted that basketball is not popular in her country - soccer is. But after working hard, and getting to the Olympics, that could do wonders for their program and she and her coach feel that way. To an extent, that could be used for Europe. No, not a lot of European countries play it, but maybe some day they will.

Again, I'm biased because I'm an American, and we...umm...own it. But really, I think it has potential, and cutting it from Olympics is only stunting it's progress.

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"Don't do something until you get it right, do it until you can't do it wrong."
- Geno Auriemma

[JACKOWACKO]

Ive actually started to watch softball more in the past few years, Im starting to get to know some of the names and teams, and starting to like it.

But I have to agree that softball is pretty unfair to have it at the Olympics. I mean our junior programs and collegiate programs are light years ahead of just about anywheres else. I mean how many times do we need to see Crystal Bustos come up in a 10-0 game with the bases loaded and hit a grandslam 500 feet

I think this is good for softball though. The pro fastpitch league is starting to get more games on TV Ive noticed and now the big names will all play in the league. Nobody really cares if Team USA beats up on everyone at the Olympics, but they may care if the pro fastpitch league becomes competitive and fun.

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LAUREN JACKSON is the greatest of alltime.

[CRASH]

The US softball team speaks out;

[fancy_daniel]

[Slovydal]

Is Curling still in the Winter Olympics?

[UTexRulz23]

Anybody think it would be any more of a sway for the IOC to bring it back if some of the games had significant upsets?

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The Houston Comets disbanding will always be the biggest black cloud in the history of the WNBA. Pitiful.

[JACKOWACKO]

[gpark33]

[Ottie]

Sorry, as much as I hate to admit it, because Australia are a genuine medal chance at each olympics in the sport, I don't have a big beef with softball being cut

And I don't think it is the job of the Olympics to build popularity of sports worldwide. Like others have pointed out, handball and badminton are very popular sports in many parts of the world so dissing on them just because a sport you like has been cut is unfair.

If softball is in, then so should rugby and cricket...