Obama meets Phillies, What about National Pro Fastpitch?
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On Friday, President Obama met the Philadelphia Phillies in Washington, DC. As a former resident of the Philadelphia area, I certainly found this intriguing and exciting.
However, I couldn’t help myself from asking… when’s the last time a President of the U.S. met with the women… Pro Fastpitch champs (i.e., the female equivalent)? Here’s the answer: never.
So I checked in on the league, National Pro Fastptich, and wasn’t really all that pleased with what I found. There’s only five teams:
Akron Racers (Ohio)
Chicago Bandits (Illinois)
Philadelphia Force (Pennsylvania)
Rockford Thunder (Illinois)
Washington Glory (Washington, DC)
USSA Pride (Florida)
I couldn’t believe how few teams there are. However, I did think it was cool that my own city had a team - the Washington Glory. I was excited to look up their schedule so I can check out a game or two. Then I found out they folded this year, after only two seasons.
For a sport approximately 3 million members across the US at the amateur level (Amateur Softball Association) you’d think they’d have an equal (if not increasing) popularity at the pro level, right?
Apparently not. And in the state of this economy, it seems it will only get worse.
Marcia Smith from the O.C. Register mentioned last year that NPF held its draft via conference call. This year, they held it on the Internet. Contrast this with the WNBA draft, which I attended, held in-person at the NBA headquarters and televized on ESPN.
So what can help save it? Maybe NPF’s new partnership with the United States Specialty Sports Association? It already has by adding the last team, USSA Pride. I certainly hope it continues to work in their favor.
I highly encourage anyone who lives in the cities where the above teams are playing to go out and support this league. They need our help. Bloggers - write about these ladies. They’ve got some great content on their Web site, including a live game tracker. Also, Jennie Finch’s blog is certainly worth a look.
View Original Post at becauseiplayedsports.com
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