How To Write A Softball Journal Essay

Natalie Bigley
4th and 6th Hour
Mr. Murphy Journal

Softball in the Olympics

Have you ever watched softball in the Olympics and loved it with all your heart, cheering on your own country with your face painted with your flag’s colors? I have, and this lead me to research why they took such a beautiful sport out of the Olympics.
At a Harvard vs. Yale football game in 1887, a Yale fan playfully threw a boxing glove at a Harvard supporter and swung at it with a stick.
People were very intrigued at this and the Farragut Boat Club decided to make their own rules. For well over thirty years, people often referred this game to many things, including “indoor baseball,” “kitten baseball,”
“diamond baseball,” and even “mush ball.” In 1926, at a YMCA National
Recreation Congress meeting, Walter Hankanson introduced the sport as softball and the name stuck. 113 countries officially joined the
International Softball Federation since it was first created in 1952. Softball was becoming very popular, and everyone wanted it to become an
Olympic sport.

Natalie Bigley
4th and 6th Hour
Mr.
Murphy Journal

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to have softball at the XXVI Olympiad in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996. Everyone was overwhelmed that the woman’s version of the United States’ national pastime was now an Olympic sport. The US received gold in the first three competitions of softball. In Athens, we actually outscored our opponents
51­1. In 2008, we earned silver, losing to Japan in the championship game. Softball was barely voted out by the IOC, and decided that it wasn’t going to be in the 2012 Olympic games. The IOC kept the voting secret and said that they just wanted to add a variety of sports to the games. There were five nominees, golf, rugby, squash, karate, and roller skating, to be a new addition to the Summer Olympics. Squash and katate were nominated, but were overwhelmingly shot down in the final decision.
There has always been a contradiction about the real reason softball was removed out of the Olympics. Some people think that the sport was too “American” because after all, the sport was created here in the USA.
Also, the USA has been dominating ever since they put the sport in the
Olympics. Crystal Bustos, who hit a record five home runs during
the

Natalie Bigley
4th and 6th Hour
Mr. Murphy Journal

2004 Olympics, says, “If that did play a role in the decision, then thats pretty pathetic. I don’t mean to cut anybody down, but it’s supposed to be the best of the best, and if you get knocked for your excellence, then that’s just not right.” I completely agree with her. The US worked hard to earn their medals, and shouldn’t have that taken away from them for that reason. From my research, I have learned that the reason softball was removed from the Olympics had many contributing factors, such as wanting to add new sports, the US’ dominance in the sport, or the IOC thought the sport was too American.

Natalie Bigley
4th and 6th Hour
Mr. Murphy Journal

Bibliography
“History of Softball.”
Athletic Scholarship Site. Web. 18 Feb. 2014. Michaelis, Vicki. “Baseball, Softball bumped from Olympics.”
USA Today. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. Republic, Mason. “Why has softball been removed from the Olympics?”
Wiki.Answers.
Web.
12 Feb. 2014.