Ho-hum Olympic softball ?

One other factor that has not been mentioned is the money. While I agree with Duke most of it has to do with the MLB fraikous it also has to do with the cost of building stadiums (both baseball and softball) are VERY expensive to build and in many parts of the world would simply get NO use after the games are over. What can you use a softball stadium for other than a softball game? As absurd as some think badmiton or ping pong may be, the exhibition hall where they are held will have a myriad of uses when everything is over and one with.

Duke, props for telling it like it is. You may in fact get raked over the coals in here but you are 110% right. Pro beach volleyball is watched because of the participants.. women's tennis and golf are a commercial success to a lesser degree because women show their legs... and their top earning stars promote their sex appeal. Some may even recall Finch going semi topless in a photo layout a couple of years ago. Jessica Mendoza also posed (not nude, but suggestively) for Maxum I think it was.

I cannot stand to watch women's basketball and would rather have my wisdom teeth pulled than watch a WNBA game but four years ago the aussie team ran around in skin tight leotards. I watched them every time they were on!

 

It's hard to believe softball and baseball are being taken out of the Olympics while something like team Handball is allowed to stay in. I think the IOC is mostly Euro-centric and if it isn't a Euro type sport it isn't deemed Olympic worthy.

 

Well if...

I suppose if the big wigs, in TV production/scheduling, daughters were interested in, or participated in softball, then we would see more of it! You are probably right, if men had it their way and everyone that played could look like Jennie Finch and they wore bikinis, we would see it on every prime time channel until we were sick of it! Oh yeah that is fair!! How about the men play baseball in speedos!! I am pretty sure there are a lot of baseball players that wouldn't look like Derek Jeter either!

 

Baseball and Softball are being dropped as an Olympic sport. I guess that will give the IOC plenty of time to schedule more Beach Volleyball for 2012.

 

Curling Rocks!!!!....

.....badminton, pingpong...uhhhh not interesting.
Baseball last night was awesome! Two mackdaddy collisions at homeplate and 6 USA batters HBP........
Softball has been fun to watch when I could find it.
As for a previous post regarding Monica Abbotts "illegal" pitch.....
I agree!.....she definitely shifts her backfoot off of the pitchers rubber, replants, and brings heat.
Many of us saw it when she faced UNC in Chapel Hill.

 

Speedos in Baseball?.....

.....if that was allowed, Mr. January would STILL be playing. Marketing 101! lol
Fishman.

 

I can hardly wait...

I saw Mr. January I can hardly wait until the uniform change takes place! LOL

 

I know Comet Fan...

But yet there is still Power Walking did anyone else see that? That was hilarious to watch! LOL

 

what about?

what about at the pro level and Olympics to make it different.........50' pitching distance, 75' bases, 275' to the fence, something??

 

If you have Time Warner Cable you can watch the game live on the internet instead of waiting to midnight. The score is 0 to 0 in the 5th inning.