What about the love of the game?
On the other hand, there are many sports that have a high participation rate, even without the opportunity of one day making it to the big leagues. These sports seem to maintain the core values of healthy competition and fun. One such sport, softball, has continued to grow at an exponential rate even without the lure of fame and fortune. Each year, more than 40 million Americans participate in an estimated 23 million softball league games, defining softball as the nation's most popular sport.
This large participation rate has finally caught the attention of the media, much to the appreciation of avid softballers around the world. The Amateur Softball Association of America, the national governing body of softball in the United States has partnered with ESPN to feature the USA Softball Women’s National Team on their journey to the summer Olympics in Athens. Coverage of the team as they pursue their third Olympic gold medal in a row will begin in July 2004. Not only will this give the sport a well deserved boost, it will also solidify softball as a major player in the sports world. Who knows, maybe one day there will be high paying professional leagues across the country!
As softball continues to grow, more emphasis will be placed on player development, especially at the junior level. This encompasses the development of players’ skills, strategic coaching techniques and of course sport-specific fitness development. Other areas of the fitness and health industry, such as sports nutrition and supplementation companies, will also participate by creating sport-specific diets and supplementation plans and strategies. For a complete nutrition plan for softball, complete the Truestar Nutrition Profile and choose the athletic plan.
