Team Insight

Around the Bases With Michele Smith and Craig Cress BASEBALL/SOFTBALL TALKING SOFTBALL MICHELE SMITH Team Insight had a chance to sit down recently with long-time ESPN analyst and two-time Olympic gold medal-winning pitcher Michele Smith to get her thoughts and opinions on a cornucopia of topics in the fast-pitch soball world Team Insight: As a former professional player and current broadcaster, what is your thought on the state of women's fast-pitch softball in the U.S.? Michele Smith: We need more professional team sports in the U.S. We've done a good job of really growing sports at the grassroots high school and college levels, but now we need more profes- sional team sports for women. I would love to see a professional (fast-pitch soball) league that is more regionally located and supported. AAU Soball has been compelling and fun to watch. What were your impressions of the women's fast-pitch softball games at the Olympic Games last year in Japan? Will the sport return in 2024 or 2028? It was great to see fast-pitch soball back on the Olympic program. Unfortunately fast-pitch soball will not be on the 2024 Olympic program, but we are hoping to be back on in the LA Summer Olympics in 2028. We need to continue to grow the sport inter- nationally. It might be thriving at different levels in the U.S., but around the world we need to continue to push to grow the sport. What goes through your mind when you saw the Olympic soft- ball action in Japan last year compared with your memories of the sport's debut at the 1996 Summer Olympics? It's always an honor to represent your country. Seeing the Japanese players celebrate on their home turf aer winning the gold medal brought back a lot of memories of when we won in 1996 in Atlanta. When you are playing in the Olympics and representing your sport and your country, there's a lot of pressure and distractions, but there are also a lot of great moments. n 20 • Team Insight ~ July/August 2022 teaminsightmag.com CRAIG CRESS Team Insight touched base recently with longtime USA Soball CEO Craig Cress, who is based in Oklahoma City at USA Soball national headquarters, to get his perspective on the state of fast- pitch soball. Team Insight: What is your take on the state of women's fast-pitch softball in the U.S.? Craig Cress: Aer seeing the success of the Women's College World Series (WCWS) in early June, I think it goes to say that women's fast-pitch soball is a sport people care about and want to see more of. We had only one session at the WCWS that didn't reach 12,000 fans, while three sessions sold out here in Oklahoma City. How about the Tokyo Olympic impact? ere was a buzz surrounding soball that we hoped would stay strong and I think we're seeing that it has. We're hopeful to continue in that direction for years to come. What were your impressions of the women's fast-pitch softball games at the Olympic Games last year in Japan? Despite a bit of a different atmosphere to the Tokyo Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic and no fans being allowed in the venue, the competition from all six countries was top-notch and the presence of the soball community was felt from afar. We had fans tuning in during all hours of the night due to the Japan time difference, including a 6:00 am Gold Medal Game Watch Party at our USA Soball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. It was special to see the overwhelming support our sport received in its first return to the Olympic stage in 13 years. Will softball return in 2024 in Paris or 2028 in LA? We are not an Olympic sport for the 2024 Paris Games, but we are in the campaigning process to be selected as an additional sport for the 2028 LA Games. n "We need to continue to grow the sport internationally. It might be thriving at different levels in the U.S., but around the world we need to continue to push to grow the sport." "There was a buzz surrounding softball that we hoped would stay strong and I think we're seeing that it has. We're hopeful to continue in that direction for years to come."

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