Babcock McGraw: Softball in Olympics gives sport attention it needs

Softball has been sadly MIA, missing from the last two Olympics.

It seemed harsh that the International Olympic Committee abruptly got rid of softball after the 2008 Games in Beijing. The argument was made that not enough countries around the world were invested in softball, and that no one could seriously compete with the United States, which had won three of four gold medals since 1996.

But alas, perhaps the IOC realized it had been shortsighted. It recently voted to reinstate softball for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

I say, the more the merrier. Bring on softball, and baseball (which is being reinstated after also being cut in 2008) and karate, skateboarding, surfing and sports climbing, four new Olympic sports that will debut in 2020.

I kind of look at it this way: if the Olympic stage has room for tennis and golf, high-profile sports in which the athletes essentially take a step down to compete for free against the same athletes they face for millions of dollars all throughout the year on their respective tours, certainly there is room for more underdog sports such as softball, which actually thrive on the attention they get from the Olympics, and make it the focal point of their existence.

"This immediately gives (softball) credibility again," said Michele Smith, a two-time Olympic gold medalist. "It gets countries around the world with this sport to be supported better in their homelands."

Jennie Finch, also a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a former star for the Chicago Bandits, called the reinstatement an "answered prayer."

Speaking of the Bandits, the one thing that softball has had going for it over the last eight non-Olympic years has been National Pro Fastpitch. That's the six-team professional softball league based in the United States that has provided a refuge for some of the best players in the world.

The Bandits won the 2015 league championship last summer and just recently clinched a spot in the upcoming NPF championship series.

No drama: There's not much suspense when it comes to Olympic basketball. The United States is supposed to win both the women's and men's gold medals in dominating fashion.

So far, both teams are living up to that expectation. The women are coming off a 65-point win in pool play, and the inevitable "is that good for basketball" questions rolled in.

I liked the answer that came from U.S. point guard Sue Bird, a soon-to-be four-time gold medalist.

"I mean, how many times have I heard this question? I really don't care, truthfully," Bird said. "There's something to be said about a team that can come together in two weeks and play the way we're playing right now.

"More than anything, it's beautiful basketball. We're sharing the ball. That, to me, is a great brand of basketball, and if people strive to play that way and we can elevate the play of the entire world, then what's better than that for basketball? Nothing."

Making her-story: It's hard to steal the Olympic spotlight from swim star Michael Phelps, who recently won the 22nd Olympic medal of his career in Rio.

But Simone Manuel did just that on Thursday when she vaulted into history by becoming the first female African-American swimmer to earn a gold medal in an individual event (the 100m freestyle).

It had been 40 years since a black female earned an Olympic medal in swimming in an individual event. Enith Brigitha from the Netherlands won two bronze medals in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com

Follow Patricia on Twitter: @babcockmcgraw