In an article posted on the U.S. Olympic Committee’s teamusa.org website following the 2008 Olympics, USA Softball Pitcher Jennie Finch stated, “Our sport is too great…to let eight years put it down.”

High school teams offer another option for young people to play competitive sports, and participation in this arena is at an all-time high, according to a report issued in September by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Baseball was ranked as the third most-popular sport for boys, involving approximately 16,000 teams and more than 478,000 participants. Fastpitch softball placed fourth in terms of most-popular sports for girls, with nearly 15,000 teams and more than 371,000 participants.

At the collegiate level, 210 NAIA schools in 34 states and British Columbia, Canada, sponsor varsity baseball teams that typically have about 25 members each, according to McClure. Additionally, 25 percent of those teams also have junior varsity baseball programs involving about 15–20 athletes per team. NAIA softball participation is slighter lower, with varsity and, in some cases, junior varsity programs in 206 schools and approximately 20 players per team. According to the most recent statistics available from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), 29,486 athletes participated on 897 baseball teams, and 16,997 athletes participated on 942 softball teams during the 2006-07 school year.

Finally, the large and growing number of senior softball players indicates a lifelong interest in the game for many people. Senior Softball USA, the national governing body for senior softball players, based in Sacramento, Calif., estimates there are more than 1.5 million active senior players currently, and participation numbers are expected to increase as more Baby Boomers meet the age requirements of 50 and older for males and 45 and older for females. 

Meeting New Challenges
The SGMA survey found that 83 percent of all baseball participants in the United States are males age 13 and younger. Matt Titus, director of baseball administration at USA Baseball, the national governing body for baseball, acknowledged that one of the challenges for baseball is to reach out to parts of the population that typically have been underserved. He said that many organizations around the country are working to reach non-traditional populations.

“We are seeing growth both in the women’s and urban sectors, thanks to more energy being devoted to the women’s program by USA Baseball, especially on the heels of another strong showing in the 2008 IBAF (International Baseball Federation) Women’s Baseball World Cup in Japan and to Major League Baseball’s continued efforts to strengthen its Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program in Compton, Calif., and in other urban area across the country,” he said. “The future of baseball among both demographics is promising.”

Little League International has also been proactive in taking its program to prospective communities that aren’t currently served, Downs said. In 1999, the Little League Urban Initiative was created to provide financial assistance packages to local leagues and communities in metropolitan settings to help facilitate local Little League growth.

Statistics from the SGMA survey regarding softball participation in the United States reflect a more balanced picture, at least from a gender perspective. Nationally, 60 percent of all slowpitch participants are male, while 60 percent of all fastpitch participants are female. McKeown said ASA is seeing an increasing number of Hispanics competing in women’s fastpitch softball.

Another issue of increasing importance to baseball and softball is the need for facilities that can withstand the wear and tear of ever-greater numbers of games played each season. With this higher demand, a growing trend in field turf has emerged, Titus said. “Many colleges and high schools are now replacing their natural grass fields with field turf, which requires less maintenance and also allows teams to play more games without the wear and tear on the field. Also, these fields are playable under almost any weather condition, including light rain.”

McClure said that many NAIA schools are putting in the new artificial playing surfaces and adding lights to their baseball fields so that more night games can be played. “This means fewer classes missed by our student-athletes during the day and the opportunity for more parents and fans to attend the games.”

An End To Olympic Baseball & Softball
In a decision that some consider controversial, members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to remove baseball and softball from the Olympics following the 2008 Olympics. USA Baseball and USA Softball are both working to get their sports back into the Olympics.

“The Olympic Games are an important piece to the overall push to grow the sport globally,” Titus said. “We are working with the IBAF every day to help make sure national member foundations, professional leagues, casual fans and players around the world are on the same page and promoting the IBAF’s tagline, ‘I am baseball.’ The hope is that members of the IOC will see how strong the sport is globally and that…baseball is a sport that is worthy of Olympic inclusion.”