I remember watching the 2008 Olympics when I was ten years old and thinking how cool it would be to represent the country and the sport I love. Back then so many young girls dreamed of being able to play softball for team USA in the Olympics, but that dream was squashed when the Olympic Committee decided to exclude softball from the Olympics. Their reason? Apparently the sport was dominated by the US, so it couldn't be in the games. But, in softball's last appearance in the 2008 Olympics, Japan won the gold, disproving that statement. So, after eight long years softball is officially going to make an appearance in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics!
But what does this mean for the common person who actually doesn't care that much about softball? Well, this isn't just a win for the softball community, but also a win for the female sports community. For the past eight years, many talented softball players have decided to not continue to play the sport they love because it doesn't pay as well (salary, endorsements, etc.) as other female sports such as women's soccer or women's beach volleyball. Not to mention no female sport pays as well as their male sport counterpart. So with this win, softball can continue it's fight for equality. Also, girls who play softball in high school and college can once again dream of being able to support their country in the Olympics. Also, there are statistically more male athletes that appear in the Olympics than female athletes; in the 1984 Olympics women only represented 23 percent of the participants. In this year's Olympics women represent 45 percent of participants-- a record high-- and each country sent at least one woman to the Olympics.With the re-addition of softball to the Olympics, there will be even more women participants in the Olympics. This will help break the gender gap seen in the Olympics and be another win for women in their fight for equality.
The hope is after the 2020 Olympics, softball will get more airtime, both professional and collegiate. With the increased airtime, the programs will get more money and the salaries of the professionals will increase. This overall growth might close the baseball/softball gap.
Softball being back in the 2020 Olympics means more than just another sport for viewers to enjoy. Softball's return also means a step in the right direction in the fight for female sport equality. I can't wait to watch in 2020 when softball makes its return, but until then I'll be cheering on Team USA this Olympic season!
