Why D1 ?

[Tide_will_Roll]

Wait what, there's no olympic softball this year?? huh..

The USA women's national team will become the olympic team in 2028. It seems like every national team is in year two of their olympic effort to get to LA2028. The qualification process is a multi year process and strange in that there will only be 6 teams. I have no idea why they limited the number so much. Way more teams than 6 are playing high level softball

I was just referencing the team is the best of the best. The team will likely be shaken up as we get closer to 2028, the roster will undoubtedly change before 2028 and my guess as to the composition is there will be a lot of OU players as there were more than the 3 on the world cup roster that are in the mix. Anyway, you are correct on the stacked with OU talent comment I made was wrong. The team is not stacked with OU talent (yet)

You called it the Olympic team. I had no way of knowing you were referring to something else.

Yes. The team is likely to change over the course of the next few years. However, we have no way of knowing who will be on it. We can guess. In the recent past, it has not been young(ish) college players playing in major tournaments. As I recall, Cat Osterman was pitching in the World Championships a couple of years ago. And she wasn't the only "veteran" player on the team. That said, if the Olympics do softball like they do soccer it will be an Under-23 team with a limited number of spots for older players.

I suspect the number is 6 because it may be done similar to how soccer is for the World Cup, Olympics and other major tournaments is done. Teams compete in a region against each other in mini-tounaments for the right to be in the "big tournament." For example, the England women's team is one of the beat in the world. They are the reigning UEFA women's European champion. They failed to qualify for the Olympics.

 

[JayW]

Millions of people watched PWHL. The WNBA is exploding in viewership. People are watching 12 year olds play baseball. People are desperate for womens sports. It's just a matter of finding the right time frame for it.

I had to look it up. The 6 team hockey league owned by the billionaire streamed on Youtube?

LLWS has been an annual tradition for 2 weeks in the summer for 50 years. Nothing new there.

My statement stands. Softball's popularity is largely tied to college allegiances.

 

[JayW]

My girls watch Athletes Unlimited all the time. Sadly, the games draw only 300-400 people to watch in person. The facility in Rosemont is excellent, but it's not ideal to draw many fans to sit in the seats.

And I will say the part no one has mentioned yet. Women's sports don't sell outside of a small sample size. I love softball, but there is not a big enough draw to form a pro league that pays well enough to make it a career. I suspect giving regular lessons is way more lucrative. Just look at the WNBA. It's been propped up by the NBA for decades, and if it weren't for Caitlin Clark, no one would watch.

We went to a USSSA Pride game with about 50 in attendance.

 

[4Martini]

LLWS has been an annual tradition for 2 weeks in the summer for 50 years. Nothing new there.

Except the viewership. Social media is drawing people into watching games. I’ve heard way more about LLWS this year than I ever have.

I probably only knew it was going on at first because of the Savannah Bananas talking about it. Imagine the newest, least traditional league drawing viewers to one of the most traditional. But that’s the synergy on social media.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

Except the viewership. Social media is drawing people into watching games. I’ve heard way more about LLWS this year than I ever have.

I probably only knew it was going on at first because of the Savannah Bananas talking about it. Imagine the newest, least traditional league drawing viewers to one of the most traditional. But that’s the synergy on social media.

Again, because it's for a week on TV. If you put it on every weekend, no one would watch.

 

[Tide_will_Roll]

I had to look it up. The 6 team hockey league owned by the billionaire streamed on Youtube?

LLWS has been an annual tradition for 2 weeks in the summer for 50 years. Nothing new there.

My statement stands. Softball's popularity is largely tied to college allegiances.

I think it is partially due to the popularity of the sport in certain regions of the country too.

I watch games on television where I have no particular allegiance to either team. Some teams may be large schools, P4 type schools, Ivy League, mid majors, all types of schools I'll watch. Almost universally, the games in the upper Midwest, such as Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, and the Northeast, always look sparsely attended. I see a handful or two handfuls of people sitting in "the good seats" behind home plate.

This us just my opinion. I'll not state it as fact because it is merely something I've observed.

 

[JayW]

Except the viewership. Social media is drawing people into watching games. I’ve heard way more about LLWS this year than I ever have.

I probably only knew it was going on at first because of the Savannah Bananas talking about it. Imagine the newest, least traditional league drawing viewers to one of the most traditional. But that’s the synergy on social media.

Sounds anecdotal. LLWS has been highly watched for decades. The Mo'ne Davis game was especially popular.

Most-watched Little League World Series Ever on ESPN Networks

The 2014 Little League World Series was the most-watched ever on ESPN networks (ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 combined) according to Nielsen. The average audience of 1,724,000 viewers (P2+) is up 71 percent from 2013. The Little League World Series across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 consisted of 54 games...

espnpressroom.com

 

[LEsoftballdad]

Almost universally, the games in the upper Midwest, such as Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, and the Northeast, always look sparsely attended. I see a handful or two handfuls of people sitting in "the good seats" behind home plate.

Would you want to freeze your butt off watching a game in those regions in March or April?

 

[Tide_will_Roll]

Would you want to freeze your butt off watching a game in those regions in March or April?

Lol, nope. But you know, diehards might? I'm not used to that. Maybe someone who is would be down with it?

I don't remember the game I was watching last season but beyond the OF fence you could see a butt ton of snow on the ground. Somewhere in NY or NE I think.

 

[Tide_will_Roll]

Sounds anecdotal. LLWS has been highly watched for decades. The Mo'ne Davis game was especially popular.

Most-watched Little League World Series Ever on ESPN Networks

The 2014 Little League World Series was the most-watched ever on ESPN networks (ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 combined) according to Nielsen. The average audience of 1,724,000 viewers (P2+) is up 71 percent from 2013. The Little League World Series across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 consisted of 54 games...

espnpressroom.com

I love softball. I'll watch random college games. I've never watched one minute of LLWS softball. It doesn't interest me in the slightest.

Edit: Same with baseball LLWS. I have not watched it since I was probably 12 years old. Personally, I don't care.