The Olympic hopes of many athletes in this country were dashed
this week when the International Olympic Committee voted not to
keep softball and baseball as a part of the 2012 Olympic Games in
London. The move potentially affects many UCLA athletes, as six
former Bruin softball players competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in
Athens, as did one former UCLA baseball player. Softball and
baseball’s elimination marked the first time since 1939 that
a sport was terminated from the Olympics. The IOC’s
announcement sparked much outcry across the United States, where
both sports were invented and are most popular. “It’s
shocking,” said UCLA softball coach Sue Enquist, who also
helped in the selection process for players in the 1996 Olympic
Games in Atlanta. “I’m devastated for the generation of
athletes that will hit their prime in 2012.” Softball and
baseball will still be held at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and
the two sports are eligible to reapply in 2009 for the 2016
Olympics. The loss of Olympic ties, however, will likely be felt
greater in softball than in baseball. In baseball, most players
grow up dreaming of playing in the major leagues, where the best
players in the sport play (one of the reasons cited by some for the
discontinuation of baseball in the Olympics), but in softball, the
best in the sport play at the Olympics. There is a new professional
softball league, National Pro Fastpitch, in its second year of
existence. But last year, the players competing in the Olympics did
not play in the NPF. “The Olympics are the pinnacle of any
player who participates in the game.” Enquist said.
“Winning the Division I softball championship is a close
second. I’m saddened that there will no longer be softball
for the 2012 Olympics.” Some other reasons for the dropping
of softball may have included the U.S. domination in the sport (the
United States has won all three gold medals in softball and
outscored its opponents 51-1 in Athens) and the lack of European
interest in the two sports (no European country has won a medal in
either sport, and about half of the IOC voters are from Europe).
The votes were done in secret by the IOC, with each sport needing
half the members to support it. “The vote by the IOC members
is a crushing blow to the millions of young women around the world
who dream of taking the field as Olympic athletes in our
sport,” the Amateur Softball Association said in a statement.
“It’s a sad day for everyone in our sport who has
dedicated their lives to getting softball in the Olympic
games,” the ASA continued. “It is important to remember
that softball is still part of the Olympic Games in 2008 and has an
opportunity to demonstrate to the IOC members that it is deserving
of a place in the Olympic Games in 2016.”
FOUR UCLA ALUMNAE TO COMPETE IN WORLD CUP: The
first-ever World Cup of Softball begins Thursday in Oklahoma City,
and four former Bruins will compete on the U.S. National Team
““ Tairia (Mims) Flowers, Amanda Freed, Stacey Nuveman and
Natasha Watley. All four competed on the gold-medal team in Athens.
The other UCLA alumna on the Olympic team, Lisa Fernandez, will
miss the World Cup because she is pregnant with her first child.
The only other Bruin alumna to compete in Athens, Australia’s
Tonya Harding, has retired from international play. The World Cup
of Softball, played in Oklahoma City, has five teams that will play
each other in a round-robin format from Thursday to Sunday. The top
two teams will play each other on July 18 in the championship
game.