For you softball fans

[YChang]

NY Times article regarding the future of the sport and the Olympics.

Potential upside to an upset

 

[Bill in Sinton]

I wish it would help YChange but still the USA will be getting medals in these events even if it isn't always the gold and I think that is the unwritten reason for dropping it.

 

[lostman]

It really does not have to do with US domination as much as the media makes it out to be. That is just a convenient excuse thrown out by the Powers That Be, and Mr J Rogge. The fact is that every participating country has one vote and while softball may be played in many of them, it is only competitve in a few of them right now. No country wants to participate internationally in a sport in which they have no developmental program. It only lost by ONE vote, with one abstention (that was Jim Easton, the US rep)

Another argument that some countries have is that the facilities are expensive to build and not multi-purpose as a basketball gym is. The softball fields in Athens were torn down soon after the Olympics there. You can't argue with that point - it is what it is.

 

[gardere_owns_OU]

i really don't like that they're taking softball out of the olympics, yet they're keeping 'sports' such as badminton, shooting and equestrian.

let's go ahead and add surfing in place of softball. that's a 'sport'

IOC needs to realize that just because softball isn't huge in every country there are enough countries playing the game.