No softball in 2028 Olympics

[Shiloh]

Yes, it's about money.
Always.

But 20 people per team is not the barrier...the cost of moving a few hundred people around is de minimis.

It's about the facilities, specifically, the multiple baseball stadiums needed to host the ~10 day tournament.

Around LA and Tokyo, baseball stadiums are in great abundance.
But elsewhere (Rio, London, Beijing, Athens, Sydney, Barcelona) not so much.
And building a stadium for the Olympics that will only be used for a week or two has fallen out of favor.

Plus, the Olympics are (still) Euro-centric and guess where baseball/softball is not popular?

Plus, the MLB won't interrupt its season to release its stars for international play, making the prospect of a big-dollar draw to the Olympic tournament a no-go.

So, yeah, not worth the money for the organizers.
And, sadly for softball, it probably never will be.

 

[riseball]

Given the widespread corruption in the IOC and other BS associated with the Olympics I am at a loss why people still watch.

 

[radness]

You're looking at it from a US-biased viewpoint. The Olympics is not just for sports that are popular in the US.

? US biased?
Ok, from my couch that is in the United States I do not see handball on the TV set.

However I do see cornhole on prime-time television. That was part of my comment.

Actually from the type of sport that handball is thought would see it somewhere from my couch in the United States but do not.
(maybe it's somewhere on ESPN and I don't use those channels)

Because of the type of sport handball is... would think maybe it would be on the same channel that does cage fighting. Rollerball'ish type sport.

 

[Eric F]

? US biased?
Ok, from my couch that is in the United States I do not see handball on the TV set.

However I do see cornhole on prime-time television. That was part of my comment.

Actually from the type of sport that handball is thought would see it somewhere from my couch in the United States but do not.
(maybe it's somewhere on ESPN and I don't use those channels)

Because of the type of sport handball is... would think maybe it would be on the same channel that does cage fighting. Rollerball'ish type sport.

Let me try again...

You don't see handball on US TV (except during the Olympics) because it's a very small sport in the US. However, it it a very popular sport in other areas of the world, which is why it continues to be included in the Olympics. Judging the popularity of a sport based on what we see from our living rooms is a US-biased viewpoint.

Helga in Oslo is going to be plenty pissed off when she doesn't get to watch Norway's handball team compete in one of the few summer sports they are good at. She also probably doesn't see why baseball/softball should be considered because of the same type of familiarity bias.

Meanwhile, I expect there are a lot of folks from LOTS of parts of the world that are excited about the possibility of cricket finally being included in the Olympic Games. However, the venue and large team challenges of baseball/softball may also be a limiter for cricket.

Based on the recent inclusion of break dancing, adding cornhole to the games is not completely out of the question, at this point.

 

[JayW]

Tokyo Olympic softball was terrible so no huge loss.

 

[riseball]

Considering the NCAA's current trajectory of allowing transgender men to compete on women's teams, college softball may be gone by 2028.

 

[radness]

Let me try again...

You don't see handball on US TV (except during the Olympics) because it's a very small sport in the US. However, it it a very popular sport in other areas of the world, which is why it continues to be included in the Olympics. Judging the popularity of a sport based on what we see from our living rooms is a US-biased viewpoint.

Helga is Oslo is going to be plenty pissed off when she doesn't get to watch Norway's handball team compete in one of the few summer sports they are good at. She also probably doesn't see why baseball/softball should be considered because of the same type of familiarity bias.

Meanwhile, I expect there are a lot of folks from LOTS of parts of the world that are excited about the possibility of cricket finally being included in the Olympic Games. However, the venue and large team challenges of baseball/softball may also be a limiter for cricket.

Based on the recent inclusion of break dancing, adding cornhole to the games is not completely out of the question, at this point.

Completely understand.
Let me put it this way
I am not surprised softball is not in the Olympics because it has so little Global participation.

Which it puts into perspective what American viewers are watching because cornhole is on Primetime television on Prime channels.

Cricket may be equal to the fanaticism of Skateboarding in the Olympics.

 

[_MIA_]

Here we go..

 

[Shiloh]

Here we go..

yep

 

[flash277]

Softball should be.I'm Olympics, just have USA/Japan play a best of 7 series. Those are the only teams that are any good.