Posted on 08/21/2008 8:45:37 AM PDT by StoneWallJack
SI.com: Give us your best guess: Will softball get reinstated for the 2016 Games?
Roberts: I think there is great momentum right now to reinstate softball for 2016 due to a couple of important reasons: First, Asian countries have poured a lot of resources into women's softball. Japan is one example, and those countries have a lot of pull with the IOC.
Second, I think America is doing the right thing in exporting its knowledge of the game by establishing clinics in Europe where there is more resistance toward the game of softball. One other wildcard for 2016 is the exit of the Bush administration. The undercurrent of anti-Americanism within the IOC, which some say has hurt the U.S. because of its softball dominance, may abate somewhat with a potential administration led by Barack Obama, a rock star in Europe.
(Excerpt) Read more at sportsillustrated.cnn.com ...
From what I saw, when the USA was down 2-1 in the bottom of the 6th inning, with one out and the bases loaded, I don't recall it being President Bush hitting a weak infield fly pop, or a weak pop-up to first, to end the inning. For a while, I thought they turned into the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Whoever this writer is, must have had a real hard time with May-Treanor and Walsh complimenting the President right after they won the gold last night/this morning.
Cosmopolitan does a better job of covering sports than Sports Illustrated does.
“What are liberals going to do when Bush is no longer in office? Who will they have to blame?”
Bush.
This is ridiculous...I don’t think “hate” for Prez Bush has anything to do with IOC voting to get rid of baseball and softball.
The problem? Europeans are not interested in baseball and softball...I am not sure when that would change anytime soon. Only ONE European nation fielded both baseball and softball teams this time: Netherlands. I don’t think French, Germans, Spanish, and British want to keep the sports in which they have zero chance of winning a medal.
How about African nations? Like Europeans, they don’t care about baseball and softball. European IOC and African IOC members agree on that...
I am also suspecting that IOC is reluctant to make the host nations to build baseball and softball stadiums...
London will host the next Olympics...I am thinking that British government is happy that it doesn’t have to spend money on building baseball and softball stadiums. What would British do with baseball and softball stadiums after Olympics?
What if Brazil hosts the Olympics after London? What would Brazilian government think about building baseball and softball stadiums?
BMX biking as an Olympic sport? I think softball and baseball are more of sport than that...
“The problem? Europeans are not interested in baseball and softball...I am not sure when that would change anytime soon. Only ONE European nation fielded both baseball and softball teams this time: Netherlands. I don’t think French, Germans, Spanish, and British want to keep the sports in which they have zero chance of winning a medal.”
Thirty years ago, we didn’t have a snowball’s chance of winning gymnastics, soccer, cross country Tour de France type bicycling and other “world sports”. We adapted and overcame (as the Marines say). I think the one that personally shocked me more than anything this Olympics, (and honestly I don’t keep up with the sport) is the women sweeping all 3 medals in fencing (sabre). I always thought that was a European dominated sport. Nice to see we have some American ladies that know how to kick some tail in a knife fight!
I just don’t see young women in Europe getting into softball anytime soon...When some European team matches up against US, Japan, or Australia, IOC might reconsider softball...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.