The following is written by former White Sox captain and self-proclaimed sports lover, Rebecca Bromhead.
I read this NZ Herald article last weekend, and first I was pissed off and then settled for bemused.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and in this day and age I am never sure anymore if these are true opinions or just an attempt to stir people up and get more clicks and attention in the process.
My first impulse was to write a counter-argument, but then I thought I would be falling into the writer's trap. This morning I woke up and saw that a few people I knew had shared the article and had obviously been affected by it - that its negativity was spreading.
I love a man that plays softball, I have been coached by some of the greatest men of softball, and I have watched many, many insanely talented athletes play the game – both on the world stage and at the local ballpark. They deserve better, so here comes my two cents.
The main message I took from this opinion piece is that males should play baseball instead of softball because it offers "an education, a job, a future" and that "those opportunities do not exist in softball".
My first gut response to that statement is this – if your sole reason for choosing which sport to play is its earning potential, then you are missing the true depth, beauty and grace of sport.
If you have the desire and the ability to turn your chosen sport into a career? A dream result. However, if the joy of your life is pitching a softball, sprinting round a track, or doing cartwheels on a beam, and it doesn’t pay - or (shock horror) you have to pay to compete - don’t let anybody detract from that joy with their negative opinions.
The digger operator from Wellington says he will be back at his usual job this time next week.
But hey, okay, let’s put aside our joy and natural talent and look at sport from the cold, hard cash point-of-view for a moment. If money is the motivator, then what level of money is enough? $500,000 a year? A million? 100 million?
Should we have told Valerie Adams to put down that shot put and take up a more lucrative code? Or does the fact that her sport is included in the Olympics somehow make it a more valuable sport than those not included?
Should all of our future All Blacks put down that rugby ball and take up soccer or NFL? Sure, rugby players can make a decent living out of their sport, but it is a drop in the ocean compared to the contracts offered by other codes.
There is no denying that baseball is a sport swimming in cash, and the huge contracts signed by the elite stars of MLB are eye-watering – LA Angels star Mike Trout made US$34 million this year.
It is true that the minimum wage in the MLB is US$545,000 – but only 0.5% of all baseball players of a high school age will make it to the big leagues. For those grinding it out in the minors, the minimum contract drops to US$6600 for the season, US$12900 if they can crack AAA ball.
If the main reason to recommend baseball over softball is the money then you need to paint the whole picture.
The NZ softball side secured their seventh world title after beating Australia 6-4 on Monday.
Many, many male softballers make a living out of their sport, and travel the world while doing so. Sure, not many will retire on those earnings, but let’s talk about someone who will - Mike White.
The former Black Sox pitcher earned NZ$345,000 (plus $130,000 in bonuses) coaching softball at Oregon University in 2018. He has since signed a "life-changing" contract at the University of Texas, a contract rumoured to be in excess of a million dollars a year.
Every cent of that million dollars is because of a softball. There are many other male softballers been paid to coach all over the world, which proves that there is a future within the sport once your playing years are done.
The writer also compares his memories of attending the 2013 Softball World Series and the 2017 Baseball World Series. First of all, attending a World Series baseball game is the dream of many - including me, and what an experience that would be!
Secondly, I also attended the 2013 Softball World Series Final, and what an experience that was! I remember lining up very early that morning so as to nab a great spot by the outfield fence.
I remember the crowd leaping as one each time a home run cleared that very fence. I remember the way Venezuelan catcher Rafael Flores played with joy and agility. I remember watching the Black Sox win a World Championship on home soil, and the emotions I felt that day flooded back as I wrote these words.
The NZ men's softball team defeated Australia 6-4 on Monday and were crowned world champs for a seventh time.
I can’t possibly compare the two events having only attended one of them – but why do they need to be compared? Why do they have to compete with each other? Who has the right to say that the thousands of hours spent by our male softballers in the pursuit of that title were wasted hours, "because softball is a sport for women"?
And here we are, at the essence of my argument. No sport is "better" than another. And no one, absolutely no person, has the right to tell someone that their chosen sport is inferior or "for out-of-shape men looking for a bit of fun and an excuse to have a few bevvies after work."
You insult the athletes that dedicate themselves to their craft, and you belittle their joy. Everyone is entitled to an opinion – just be careful with the language you use to express that opinion – because everyone is also entitled to respect.
I hope baseball continues to grow and develop in this country, because it has incredible pathways and opportunities – just like softball. I hope softball and our incredible athletes are given more televised opportunities to showcase their immense talents – just like baseball.
Most of all I hope that we all get the chance to play the sport we love, without "eviscerating" another to do so.
SHARE ME