Photo by Wade Rackley/Auburn Athletics
Auburn University (my alma mater) has a softball team. It’s had one for almost 20 years. And to be perfectly frank, I have not paid it much attention. Until now. And friends, that has been a mistake.
It hasn’t been a mistake merely because women in general, and women’s collegiate athletics in particular, deserve the same recognition and respect as their male counterparts (they do), but rather, on a purely selfish level, I have been depriving myself of some damn good sport.
I started realizing this a little over a year ago, after I attended maybe my second softball game at Auburn since the program’s inception. Sadly, I have lived here virtually that entire time span, and for most of said span, it didn’t even cost anything to go. So really, there’s no excuse. But I didn’t. And that’s a shame because I have missed out on a lot, and judging from anecdotal evidence from around town, I’m not alone.
Here comes the social commentary.
Recently I heard a dad of four (three boys, one girl) talk about taking his daughter to some of the softball games to see Auburn’s team in action. And I think that is great. I have heard similar thoughts from many parents lately. But friends, if you think that it’s only important for you daughters to watch this team, then you are shortchanging yourselves and your sons.
What Auburn softball is accomplishing is worthy of praise and admiration on it’s own merits, not because it’s a group of girls playing a girl’s game pretty well.
See ya’ Friday.
Rich Perkins hosts The Drive, a weekday sports call-in show heard in Auburn on ESPN 106.5 and around the universe at espnau.com. He also has a little blog he occasionally updates with things that mostly amuse only him. Also, he thinks the movie Diner is one of the greatest movies of all time. Don’t ask. You can read his previous TWER’ings here.
Related: Damn you, Auburn.
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Well said, Rich.
What I like about softball is that it is more than just a pitching duel. You will see a lot of fielding and infield plays. It happens fast because the bases are closer together.