SOFTBALL and baseball were once among the sports that used to attract huge crowds. People would flock to the playing arenas just to watch their favorite players in action. However, this is not the case anymore.
The sport has died down over the years but the announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that softball and baseball would be considered for inclusion in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan, should call for action to revive the sport in the country.
In a 2005 decision, softball and baseball were voted out of future Olympic Games by the IOC; the sports were last played at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
It’s been a decade since the Olympic dreams of young softball players in Zambia were ruined after the exclusion of the sports code from the world’s biggest sporting stage.
But they have a glimmer of hope now that the sport is almost making its way back to the world’s grandest stage.
Softball and baseball should be viable sports to the extent of surviving even without the Olympics and Zambia must proceed to see to it that we begin watching the sport.
It was a big sport in the early 1970s when teams from various towns and, of course those they were made up of a mix of players from all walks of life.
When the Olympic winds are blowing, it raises the sport’s profile, and gets more countries interested in participating at that stage and the potential re-introduction of softball into the Olympics should also help boost interest in the sport among young people.
Zambia has some real talented athletes who could be very interested to take up softball if only someone can facilitate the recruitment process.
The National Olympic Committee (NOC) is currently pursuing the vision 2020 with a goal to see Zambians win gold medals at that year’s Games.
To attain that feat, the country has to keep the Olympic flame burning in the hearts of youngsters if Zambia is to achieve its dream. As a popular saying goes, “falling is not failing but failing to rise when one falls, is failing.”
Everybody hates to lose. Everybody wants to win every game; Zambia still has five years to form a formidable softball team that can aspire for honours at the 2020 Games.
For minor sports like softball in Zambia, it’s survival of the fittest trend as they face serious financial challenges to carry out their programs.
There is need to shake off the dust of constraints, braving all odds and become heroes in the making.
Unlike softball which seems to have disappeared from the scene, some other sports like Chess, Tennis and Squash among other are still up and running.
Former and current softball players as well as administrator must be up in arms and always keep their hopes alive in hopeless situations, where they have failed, or have been failed by their sponsors but must move on the undeterred, to face fresh challenges awaiting them.
There is need for the Zambia Softball and Baseball Association to embark on a massive recruitment drive and ensure that they instill basics of the sport in the young folk.
Creating sufficient opportunities for youngsters to exhibit their abilities, especially in schools can greatly help in getting the sport back on track.
Once the country re-establishes that opportunity, players will gain the confidence to once again aim to conquer the world of softball but there are still hurdles to leap in order to get the sport back onto the scene, but the most important thing is to have strong desire to take a very positive first step.
However, anyone in the players’ shoes would have suffered the dejection and lack of activity as they have done over the years but at the end of the day, they know who is capable of demonstrating their skills given chance.
Coaching is obviously a critical component of a team’s success. Having a coach that could not only push players, but also lead a team to a championship are prerequisite to reviving the sport from the doldrums.
From today, people should set targets of creating a strong foundation for future softball player and believe that they can and are determined to achieve that target. As long as they keep their end objective in mind and focus on working together, they are capable of achieving anything they put their minds to.
Certainly, softball is an international sport and therefore should get back on the scene in Zambia. The cost of participating or playing in various sports disciplines is usually covered by fundraising. Once softball is back, it would open door for so many youngsters, males or females to compete.
A year on from the Games and the question of legacy and how we encourage younger generations, in particular, to do more exercise is a hot topic. It’s one that the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust is closely involved with.
We establish local partnerships with organisations that have access to this group of young people and the referrals come from these community links.
We get them to realise what employers are looking for in interviews, the way you speak to someone and how you present yourself.
Today’s youth have it far tougher than any other generation previously and it would be an uphill battle to get the sport back on track.
Until next time … that is stumps.
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