USA Softball pitcher shares thoughts on IOC's decision to cut softball and the inherent pressure of the 2008 Olympic Games
By Megan Youngblood
Jennie Finch hasn’t had much time to slow down lately. With 2-year-old son Ace on her hip, she’s full swing into motherhood while she gears up for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
But she’ll be quick to tell you that motherhood hasn’t affected her as an athlete in so much as intruding on her softball career. She says that it’s put things into a new perspective for her and feels that she must make each moment count on the field because time spent on the field is time away from her son. “It’s probably the greatest thing that I’ve ever done in my entire life,” Finch said about motherhood. “But as far as coming home and getting a big ol’ hug and a kiss from him, that is the greatest feeling there is. It just definitely keeps things into perspective because he doesn’t care whether I win or lose. And when I do leave him to go work out or to go practice, there’s no slacking off (on the field) because I know that I am sacrificing my time with him to do this.”
The weight of competing at the highest level while mothering isn’t Finch’s only source of determination. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to cut softball from the 2012 Games in London. Beijing could be a viable battleground for reclaiming softball as a worldwide competitive sport. The performance, the support, the fans that will convene there will weigh heavily on the IOC’s decision in 2009, when it meets in Copenhagen to vote on the sports to be included on the Olympic Program for the 2016 Games.
Thoroughly disappointed, Finch says that she was heartbroken when she first learned of the IOC’s decision. “It’s pretty disgusting to think how far we’ve come thus far in our sport—it’s at an all-time high,” Finch said. “It’s just another bump in the road, and we have to continue on and fight for it to get back into the Olympics. There’s no justifiable reason that it’s not in an Olympic sport setting. It’s just (going to involve) spreading the word and using those 2008 Games as a showcase for us. Hopefully, we can encourage our sport worldwide and continue to let it grow, not only in the United States but elsewhere.”
Finch has been actively involved in transforming softball at its roots, in Little League softball fields, pitching camps and collegiate stadiums. She points out the importance of the sport continuing at the Olympic level and creating opportunities for girls in getting scholarships and moving onto the next level.
“It’s awesome to see the growth of (softball) and to see the excitement of it from a young age and on. And I think the Olympics have been a crucial part of that as you always have young girls dreaming of being an Olympian. I hope we can get (softball) back in and continue to see the growth of it.”
Not all segments aspects of the gameof softball are progressing entirelyas quickly as Finch would like. As the pitcher for the professional softball team the Chicago Bandits, she realizes the disproportionate salaries to that of her male counterparts, or closer yet, her husband and former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher, Casey Daigle. “It definitely can be frustrating,” she said. “You see myself and my husband doing the exact same thing, but as far as financial rewards, [male athletes] definitely receive way more than [female athletes] receive. But at the same time, to see a girl’s face light up when she sees you—it’s great that you can actually have an impact on them.”
Finch takes great stock in being a role model for young athletes. According to her, just having a position to bend the envelope in softball is a great opportunity for change. “I’m so blessed for the people who played before me and paved the way—who have opened the door for me to be a professional athlete and make a good living being a professional athlete,” she said. “It’s a matter of thanking people before, while also realizing that this is our job to continue that movement and to continue to break down those barriers that hopefully gets better and bigger.”
Jennie Finch is certain that progress will occur as she and those that follow after her continue to raise the bar for softball and to fight for coverage and competition, such as the inclusion of softball in the 2016 Olympic Games. And perhaps in years to come, she said, “Female athletes will be making millions of dollars.”