Top Ten Reasons to Reinstate Olympic Softball
Olympic Softball Reinstatement Page
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Michele Smith is one of only 6 players selected worldwide, and the only United States player
selected, to represent the International Softball Federation (ISF) in the ISF's efforts to reinstate
Olympic softball. Attorney Lawrence Hsieh joined the cause and wrote an article for the New
York Law Journal giving the Top Ten Reasons for reinstatement. This article is reproduced
below.
selected, to represent the International Softball Federation (ISF) in the ISF's efforts to reinstate
Olympic softball. Attorney Lawrence Hsieh joined the cause and wrote an article for the New
York Law Journal giving the Top Ten Reasons for reinstatement. This article is reproduced
below.
Reprinted with permission from the September 27, 2005 edition of the New York Law Journal,
©2005 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited.
©2005 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited.
"The International Olympic Committee (IOC) stunned the sports world in July by eliminating
baseball and women’s softball from the Olympic Games. Both sports failed to garner the
majority of IOC member votes required to remain in the Olympic program starting with the 2012
London Games. No replacement sports were admitted. Hence the vote, conducted by secret
electronic ballot, shrunk the Olympic program for the first time since 1936.
While baseball’s elimination strikes most observers as unfair (because of the
disproportionate negative impact it will have on Latin American baseball), softball’s exclusion
seems almost gratuitous because it appears to be based solely on its perceived association
with baseball. But none of the reasons regularly cited to justify baseball’s elimination applies
to softball. For example, softball does not have a doping problem. Furthermore, the best
softball players are available to compete in the Olympics, something not even men’s soccer
can claim.
Perhaps three consecutive United States softball gold medals, together with jingoistic
American media coverage, made softball a convenient target. But, in fact, the Americans no
longer own softball hegemony. In eliminating softball, the IOC eviscerated in one fell swoop
the many admirable steps it took to increase participation by women in the Olympic Movement,
including amending the Olympic Charter to make female participation a priority, forming the
Women and Sports Commission, not to mention admitting women’s softball to the program in
1996 in the first place.
A formal appeal involves arbitration, but the International Softball Federation, the international
governing body of softball, under the leadership of its president, Don Porter, instead is
coordinating the effort to convince the IOC leadership to allow the members to revote at the
next IOC session to take place in February 2006 in Torino, Italy, the site of the 2006 Winter
Olympic Games. The hope is that the membership will take a close and objective look at the
facts and reinstate softball’s Olympic status.
In any analysis of the decision to eliminate softball, it helps to understand the regulatory
context in which the vote was conducted. The IOC is a non-governmental organization or
“NGO” that supervises the organization of the Olympic Games. Important issues such as host
city selection and program changes are decided by membership ballot. IOC members serve
renewable eight-year terms and are deemed representatives of the IOC in, rather than
delegates of, their respective countries.
The non-profit IOC derives its revenue from the sale of broadcast rights, corporate
sponsorships, tickets and licensing rights. The IOC retains about 8% of these revenues for
operations, and distributes the balance worldwide to international sports federations
(including the softball federation), National Olympic Committees, as well as Organizing
Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) formed by the host country to liaise with the IOC
to stage the Games. National Olympic Committees around the world use the funds to support
their Olympic teams. Federations work with sport governing bodies in each country to promote
and lobby for the sport that they represent. The softball federation works with national
governing bodies in 126 countries, including the Amateur Softball Association, which overseas
softball in the U.S.
The Olympic Charter calls for 15 to 28 sports to be included in the summer program. Sports
may include multiple disciplines. Incidentally, two other fine Olympic sport disciplines open
only to women, rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming, were not cut from the
program. Their affiliation as “disciplines” within the established Olympic “sports” of
gymnastics and aquatics, respectively, may have insulated them somewhat from intense
scrutiny despite popularity statistics that are no better than softball. I wonder if the federations
of related sports should look for long-term ways to work together or combine, rather than
compete with each other for limited Olympic slots and funding.
IOC President Jacques Rogge’s first attempt in 2002 to have baseball and softball eliminated
was rebuffed. However, the IOC then decided to implement through its Olympic Program
Commission a quadrennial post-Games systematic assessment of all Olympic sports to
ensure that the Olympic program remains “fresh and relevant for the youth of tomorrow”. The
international federations, the World Anti-Doping Agency and other third parties supplied the
Commission with data based on 33 criteria designed to assess, for example, each sport’s
universality, popularity, gender equity, fairness of judging/refereeing, anti-doping measures
and global development plans.
In its Report, the Commission assigned the sports ratings for each criterion based on
comparisons to benchmarks. A sport would earn ratings based on, for example, the
proliferation of national championship tournaments, world championship broadcast
distribution and press coverage statistics, Olympic Game ticket sales, etc. The Report
contains a sport-by-sport synopsis of ratings, back up data and a series of tables that display
each sport’s performance against the others and against average data.
The IOC released the Report on June 13, 2005 after first giving the international federations the
opportunity to comment. The IOC stressed that neither it nor the Report made any formal
recommendations regarding the disposition of any sport. On July 8, 2005, the IOC members
convened in Singapore and voted by secret ballot to eliminate softball. With this backdrop,
here are my top ten reasons why softball should be reinstated as an Olympic sport.
1. International softball is universal. According to the Report, more softball federation
member countries (81) organized softball national championships in 2003-04 than countries
that staged national championships for the marquee Olympic sports of gymnastics (60),
boxing (74) and the aquatic discipline of swimming (70). The gap is even wider when
comparing softball to other established Olympic sports like equestrian (less than 60 for all
disciplines) and the aquatic discipline of water polo (37), and exciting new Olympic sports like
the cycling discipline of mountain biking (19).
2. (and 3) International softball is popular, and growing. According to the Report, softball
recorded the highest percentage jump in the number of countries that broadcast the world
championships. 80 countries broadcast the most recent softball world championships
compared to six countries for the previous championship. In absolute terms, this now puts
softball in the middle of the broadcast bell curve. In addition to the Americas and Asia, softball
has enjoyed strong growth in Europe, and the softball federation anticipates continued strong
European growth following the selection of London as an Olympic host city.
4. International softball has pro-active leadership. In its quest to help spread the
popularity of the sport, the softball federation chose to forgo most world championship
television rights in order to facilitate widespread television coverage and distribution.
Furthermore, it has implemented a robust grass roots plan to propagate the sport globally,
organizing coaching and playing clinics in, and donating equipment to, dozens of countries
throughout Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
5. International softball is exactly that – international. China, Japan and others have
embraced the American import and are equally likely to win top honors in international
competition. While the United States may have been the intended target, axing softball will
have a disproportionate impact on foreign programs. When the IOC allows a sport to grow like
the basketball the Americans used to dominate, the alpine skiing the Austrians used to
dominate or the gymnastics the Soviets used to dominate, the competition gets better, not
worse.
6. International softball is the primary vehicle for elite competition, and in many
countries, the only vehicle. Professional women’s softball has a way to go before matching
the profile of professional baseball.
7. International softball is a good partner. It allows its best players to participate in the
Olympic Games. Even soccer cannot claim that. According to the Report, the soccer
federation restricts Olympic men’s competition to mostly players under 23 years of age.
8. International softball vigorously promotes gender equity. The softball federation
finished 4th in the absolute number, and 7th in the percentage of women comprising elected
federation governing bodies. The softball federation has exceeded the IOC year-end 2005
goal that at least 20 percent of decision-making positions must be held by women.
9. International softball is clean. Together only with 3 other sports, softball reported zero
anti-doping rule violations in 2003. Significantly, baseball scored the worst among all Olympic
sports in terms of percentage violations. If the IOC punished baseball, it took softball as an
innocent bystander.
10. International softball performed well in many important Report criteria, and in any
event, fell in the middle of the bell curve in most criteria, hardly a legitimate justification for
elimination. And some of the criteria were flawed. For example, the Report measured “the
global spread of excellence” by comparing the continental distribution of Olympic medals. But
softball has only 3 medals to give, far less compared to multiple event sports like aquatics,
gymnastics and track and field.
All of this analysis, of course, begs the question of whether the IOC members actually
considered any of the data in the Report in casting their votes. For all the IOC pronouncements
about the merit-based fairness of the process, the selection procedure was not transparent.
Any process that involves so many interests is bound to be political; you don’t have to be
cynical to agree with that. But if nothing else, the process should be transparent. A secret
ballot does not facilitate open merit-based dialog, and in fact renders suspect every decision,
even plausible ones made by honest people. Softball should be reinstated, and the secret
ballot should be eliminated."
baseball and women’s softball from the Olympic Games. Both sports failed to garner the
majority of IOC member votes required to remain in the Olympic program starting with the 2012
London Games. No replacement sports were admitted. Hence the vote, conducted by secret
electronic ballot, shrunk the Olympic program for the first time since 1936.
While baseball’s elimination strikes most observers as unfair (because of the
disproportionate negative impact it will have on Latin American baseball), softball’s exclusion
seems almost gratuitous because it appears to be based solely on its perceived association
with baseball. But none of the reasons regularly cited to justify baseball’s elimination applies
to softball. For example, softball does not have a doping problem. Furthermore, the best
softball players are available to compete in the Olympics, something not even men’s soccer
can claim.
Perhaps three consecutive United States softball gold medals, together with jingoistic
American media coverage, made softball a convenient target. But, in fact, the Americans no
longer own softball hegemony. In eliminating softball, the IOC eviscerated in one fell swoop
the many admirable steps it took to increase participation by women in the Olympic Movement,
including amending the Olympic Charter to make female participation a priority, forming the
Women and Sports Commission, not to mention admitting women’s softball to the program in
1996 in the first place.
A formal appeal involves arbitration, but the International Softball Federation, the international
governing body of softball, under the leadership of its president, Don Porter, instead is
coordinating the effort to convince the IOC leadership to allow the members to revote at the
next IOC session to take place in February 2006 in Torino, Italy, the site of the 2006 Winter
Olympic Games. The hope is that the membership will take a close and objective look at the
facts and reinstate softball’s Olympic status.
In any analysis of the decision to eliminate softball, it helps to understand the regulatory
context in which the vote was conducted. The IOC is a non-governmental organization or
“NGO” that supervises the organization of the Olympic Games. Important issues such as host
city selection and program changes are decided by membership ballot. IOC members serve
renewable eight-year terms and are deemed representatives of the IOC in, rather than
delegates of, their respective countries.
The non-profit IOC derives its revenue from the sale of broadcast rights, corporate
sponsorships, tickets and licensing rights. The IOC retains about 8% of these revenues for
operations, and distributes the balance worldwide to international sports federations
(including the softball federation), National Olympic Committees, as well as Organizing
Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) formed by the host country to liaise with the IOC
to stage the Games. National Olympic Committees around the world use the funds to support
their Olympic teams. Federations work with sport governing bodies in each country to promote
and lobby for the sport that they represent. The softball federation works with national
governing bodies in 126 countries, including the Amateur Softball Association, which overseas
softball in the U.S.
The Olympic Charter calls for 15 to 28 sports to be included in the summer program. Sports
may include multiple disciplines. Incidentally, two other fine Olympic sport disciplines open
only to women, rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming, were not cut from the
program. Their affiliation as “disciplines” within the established Olympic “sports” of
gymnastics and aquatics, respectively, may have insulated them somewhat from intense
scrutiny despite popularity statistics that are no better than softball. I wonder if the federations
of related sports should look for long-term ways to work together or combine, rather than
compete with each other for limited Olympic slots and funding.
IOC President Jacques Rogge’s first attempt in 2002 to have baseball and softball eliminated
was rebuffed. However, the IOC then decided to implement through its Olympic Program
Commission a quadrennial post-Games systematic assessment of all Olympic sports to
ensure that the Olympic program remains “fresh and relevant for the youth of tomorrow”. The
international federations, the World Anti-Doping Agency and other third parties supplied the
Commission with data based on 33 criteria designed to assess, for example, each sport’s
universality, popularity, gender equity, fairness of judging/refereeing, anti-doping measures
and global development plans.
In its Report, the Commission assigned the sports ratings for each criterion based on
comparisons to benchmarks. A sport would earn ratings based on, for example, the
proliferation of national championship tournaments, world championship broadcast
distribution and press coverage statistics, Olympic Game ticket sales, etc. The Report
contains a sport-by-sport synopsis of ratings, back up data and a series of tables that display
each sport’s performance against the others and against average data.
The IOC released the Report on June 13, 2005 after first giving the international federations the
opportunity to comment. The IOC stressed that neither it nor the Report made any formal
recommendations regarding the disposition of any sport. On July 8, 2005, the IOC members
convened in Singapore and voted by secret ballot to eliminate softball. With this backdrop,
here are my top ten reasons why softball should be reinstated as an Olympic sport.
1. International softball is universal. According to the Report, more softball federation
member countries (81) organized softball national championships in 2003-04 than countries
that staged national championships for the marquee Olympic sports of gymnastics (60),
boxing (74) and the aquatic discipline of swimming (70). The gap is even wider when
comparing softball to other established Olympic sports like equestrian (less than 60 for all
disciplines) and the aquatic discipline of water polo (37), and exciting new Olympic sports like
the cycling discipline of mountain biking (19).
2. (and 3) International softball is popular, and growing. According to the Report, softball
recorded the highest percentage jump in the number of countries that broadcast the world
championships. 80 countries broadcast the most recent softball world championships
compared to six countries for the previous championship. In absolute terms, this now puts
softball in the middle of the broadcast bell curve. In addition to the Americas and Asia, softball
has enjoyed strong growth in Europe, and the softball federation anticipates continued strong
European growth following the selection of London as an Olympic host city.
4. International softball has pro-active leadership. In its quest to help spread the
popularity of the sport, the softball federation chose to forgo most world championship
television rights in order to facilitate widespread television coverage and distribution.
Furthermore, it has implemented a robust grass roots plan to propagate the sport globally,
organizing coaching and playing clinics in, and donating equipment to, dozens of countries
throughout Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
5. International softball is exactly that – international. China, Japan and others have
embraced the American import and are equally likely to win top honors in international
competition. While the United States may have been the intended target, axing softball will
have a disproportionate impact on foreign programs. When the IOC allows a sport to grow like
the basketball the Americans used to dominate, the alpine skiing the Austrians used to
dominate or the gymnastics the Soviets used to dominate, the competition gets better, not
worse.
6. International softball is the primary vehicle for elite competition, and in many
countries, the only vehicle. Professional women’s softball has a way to go before matching
the profile of professional baseball.
7. International softball is a good partner. It allows its best players to participate in the
Olympic Games. Even soccer cannot claim that. According to the Report, the soccer
federation restricts Olympic men’s competition to mostly players under 23 years of age.
8. International softball vigorously promotes gender equity. The softball federation
finished 4th in the absolute number, and 7th in the percentage of women comprising elected
federation governing bodies. The softball federation has exceeded the IOC year-end 2005
goal that at least 20 percent of decision-making positions must be held by women.
9. International softball is clean. Together only with 3 other sports, softball reported zero
anti-doping rule violations in 2003. Significantly, baseball scored the worst among all Olympic
sports in terms of percentage violations. If the IOC punished baseball, it took softball as an
innocent bystander.
10. International softball performed well in many important Report criteria, and in any
event, fell in the middle of the bell curve in most criteria, hardly a legitimate justification for
elimination. And some of the criteria were flawed. For example, the Report measured “the
global spread of excellence” by comparing the continental distribution of Olympic medals. But
softball has only 3 medals to give, far less compared to multiple event sports like aquatics,
gymnastics and track and field.
All of this analysis, of course, begs the question of whether the IOC members actually
considered any of the data in the Report in casting their votes. For all the IOC pronouncements
about the merit-based fairness of the process, the selection procedure was not transparent.
Any process that involves so many interests is bound to be political; you don’t have to be
cynical to agree with that. But if nothing else, the process should be transparent. A secret
ballot does not facilitate open merit-based dialog, and in fact renders suspect every decision,
even plausible ones made by honest people. Softball should be reinstated, and the secret
ballot should be eliminated."
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