The Future of North Texas Softball?

[dueceduece]

Thank you Danny for that information. I think that the Dallas Metro and Fort Worth Metro umpires have been doing a good job.
I wish you the best of luck in your new position.

[doittoit]

danny, can you come down to sugarland, deer park and splendora for a while..??

[Area51]

Re-directing to Slade's concerns...

The rec leagues are suffering, however, I don't agree that rec players moving up to play select is THE problem. To the contrary.... kids wanting to play more competitively is a success story.

On any given Saturday, the soccer fields are full of girls, the gyms are full of volleyball players, cheer and gymnastics are more popular then ever. Why isn't participation in softball trending upwards?

Not bashing anyone here....just looking for a formula that will give us a shot with the new players that haven't been introduced to the game.

Bingo, Joe. I don't think there's a secret as to why participation is falling, the answer is intuitive. Kids get into activities because their friends and older siblings play softball and have positive experiences. To put it bluntly, there are enough 14-18 year old girls (and their parents) out there who had enough bad experiences to dissuade younger siblings and their friends from playing the game. It's all word-of-mouth in PTO meetings, at church and in your kids' classrooms. The culture of the game in NTX has pushed many kids away from softball into other sports. Does anyone really think that the constant bashing of teams and coaches, shouting matches with umpires, the inequities of daddyball, etc., have no impact on the sport? If playing the game, with all that it entails (from team practice and individual practice to socializing in the dugout) were really a ton of fun, the leagues would be full and you couldn't find an open field to hold practice. Kids and parents are voting with their feet and their dollars. And an increasing number of them aren't voting for softball. Formula? Find a way to make the game fun again.

[cornerpainter]

Re-directing to Slade's concerns...

The rec leagues are suffering, however, I don't agree that rec players moving up to play select is THE problem. To the contrary.... kids wanting to play more competitively is a success story.

On any given Saturday, the soccer fields are full of girls, the gyms are full of volleyball players, cheer and gymnastics are more popular then ever. Why isn't participation in softball trending upwards?

Not bashing anyone here....just looking for a formula that will give us a shot with the new players that haven't been introduced to the game.

Bingo, Joe. I don't think there's a secret as to why participation is falling, the answer is intuitive. Kids get into activities because their friends and older siblings play softball and have positive experiences. To put it bluntly, there are enough 14-18 year old girls (and their parents) out there who had enough bad experiences to dissuade younger siblings and their friends from playing the game. It's all word-of-mouth in PTO meetings, at church and in your kids' classrooms. The culture of the game in NTX has pushed many kids away from softball into other sports. Does anyone really think that the constant bashing of teams and coaches, shouting matches with umpires, the inequities of daddyball, etc., have no impact on the sport? If playing the game, with all that it entails (from team practice and individual practice to socializing in the dugout) were really a ton of fun, the leagues would be full and you couldn't find an open field to hold practice. Kids and parents are voting with their feet and their dollars. And an increasing number of them aren't voting for softball. Formula? Find a way to make the game fun again.

This is so True!!! If it the game gets lost in politics it just becomes politics. And that Sucks. It is so much more fun when you get to see kids learn and grow and have fun doing it. But look at the threads that are complaining aboout Team Hoppin and Coaches who don't know anything and Parents who think theirs is the best! Do you hear Softball in those comments! Is the Game the Focus! Do the Kids learn the game and life lessons or are they learning to be that future Hey Bucket Jerk! From Boom Boxes in Dallas to Bad Ball parks in Sugarland, Bad Coaches to "That Parent" What are we doing??? Scrap all the BS and get back to the fun and the teaching and watch the game explode. Me and DD's love to go play catch or hit balls or just watch some ball. We love spending time together "Dad Daughter Time is King! Yall bad apples need to learn to have some fun and stop getting in the way of the rest of us. If it is work maybe it aint right. Find another hobby or sport or maybe a shrink! People seem to excel at the things they enjoy.

Just MHO Merry Christmas May your tree be loaded with Knuckle Curves and Home Runs

[TXfastpitchsoftball]

On any given Saturday, the soccer fields are full of girls, the gyms are full of volleyball players, cheer and gymnastics are more popular then ever. Why isn't participation in softball trending upwards?

I disagree with your contention unless you have some source. I would contend that softball continues its steady growth at both the select and rec level, while cheer and gymnastics in particular are suffering from the effects of the bad economny, which prevent many parents from maintaining the HIGH costs of both sports, especially at the top level.

[asmackdaddy]

It's all word-of-mouth in PTO meetings, at church and in your kids' classrooms..

Its the World Wide Web doing it, not the PTO or Church folks.

[softballfan98]

Young girls begin playing soccer at an early age of 4 or 5, and the best athletes have success immediately. Why would they then 4 years later at 8, switch and start over at a new sport. Why not continue their domination at soccer... a game that is constant action, running, scoring goals, and played at a fast pace, where just a few players on the field can dominate action. Softball requires a slower pace, reliance on teammates to catch and throw... etc...

By the time softball really gets fun, we have lost a ton of young girls to soccer. Then comes junior high sports - everyone wants to play volleyball. Softball, once again plays backseat until high school, before it gets equal billing.

Heybucket, the PTO, and the other stuff doesn't make or break softball. It is a matter of timing and pace of the game. Just in my opinion. Dads who love baseball, Moms who played softball, and older brothers in select baseball programs are the best friends of softball - without these folks softball would even be a smaller group of girls.

[HUH???]

Remind me again why we don't have Softball in JR High School?

I know some Private Schools have it, but why not Public?
Is it $?
Is that the begining and end of it?

[Dunder_Mifflin]

Remind me again why we don't have Softball in JR High School?

I know some Private Schools have it, but why not Public?
Is it $?
Is that the begining and end of it?

Wondered the same thing myself. Probably an answer that everyone knows but the two of us. Hopefully someone will share the reason.

[Joe]

The downward trend in softball is not unique to NTX. ASA doesn't want to advertise the bad news, but their numbers overall are way down from ten years ago. Select registration numbers are fine, but the numbers for new players entering the game (rec) are trending down. This is not my opinion. It's a fact. Bad economy and all, the trends are upward for volleyball, cheer, dance. Soccer also remains strong.