ACOG - News - IBM

(24 July 1996; Day 5)

Olympic Softball Building a Following

Golden Park in Columbus, Ga., is alive with the sounds of cheering and whistling. Opposing fans try to out-cheer the other. Flags from every team are waved throughout the day in the nearly sold-out stadium. There have been more waves than at most beaches. A group of Dutch fans are clad in orange and blue from head to toe. They cheer, they sing, sometimes they even dance. With all this support and excitement, the future of Olympic softball remains in question.

Despite the terrific fan support for softball's debut in Olympic competition, there is no assurance that the sport will be on the docket for the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia. The women playing and the fans of the 1996 competition are doing all they can for the future of the sport of softball.

"The fans in Columbus have been great," said United States shortstop Dorothy RICHARDSON. "They have been great everywhere we toured, Chinese Taipei, Japan, everywhere. The fans always have a great respect for the players and the game. The fans in Sydney would do the same."

The players are hoping that the exposure gained by this Olympic Games, will increase the interest and visibility of the sport around the world.

"The Olympic Games will help a lot, "said Netherlands pitcher Anouk MELS. "Many people in our country do not understand the game of softball. People will learn to appreciate the game more."

The Olympic softball competition is giving some exposure that will help strengthen the sport around the globe. Many countries have developed strong programs without a large talent pool. The International Softball Federation estimates that China had 333,000 softball players in 1995, a mere 1 percent of the estimated 33 million in the United States.

"Softball really started in the 1970s," said Chinese pitcher WANG Lihong. "Many fans really haven't seen the game. I think that is the biggest reason for the lack of players in China. The Olympic Games are a great promotion for our sport, not only in China, but also throughout the world."

MELS agrees, "We need to get more people involved in the sport. Only 10,000 people play softball in Holland and that includes men and seniors. Maybe being in the Olympics will help us gain interest with the youth of our country."

Exposure on international television is already helping to build a following for Olympic softball. Several countries, including Canada and the Netherlands have been broadcasting the softball competition.

"Now, softball is being televised all across our country because it is Olympic softball," said MELS. "People will see it is a beautiful sport."

"Apparently, Canada has become captivated by our team. All three games have been on television," said Terry JONES, sportswriter for the Toronto and Edmonton Sun. "I wasn't scheduled to cover tonight's game against Japan, but my boss said to get my butt back down there and cover them."

The jury may be out on whether softball will be an Olympic sport in 2000, but there is no question that the fans in Columbus have found something they love. Just ask the guys dancing around with their faces painted.

This is an official publication of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games Sports Publications Department. Written by Thad Dohrn.


Return to Olympic News Menu

Select another day:
Pre July 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 August 1 2 3 4 Post


Olympic Factoid
More tickets were sold to the competitions of the 1996 Games than to any other Olympic Games or sports event in history. The 8.6 million ticket sales figures topped sales to the Los Angeles and Barcelona Games combined.