Seven days a week, you'll get news, insight and analysis on the biggest stories from the Games, as well as tips on who and what to watch to help guide your TV and live-stream viewing. OK, on to the Olympic news:. We're still three days away from the opening ceremony, but competition at the Tokyo Olympics starts at 8 p.
ET with a women's softball game between Australia and host Japan. Canadian athletes begin competing a few hours later, when the No. ET Wednesday. Canada's women's soccer team starts its quest for a third consecutive Olympic medal when it takes on Japan at a. The Canadian women's soccer and softball teams are both strong medal contenders that deserve a deeper dive. Since softball is first out of the gate, let's take a look at that squad today and circle back to the soccer team in tomorrow's newsletter.
The sport made its Olympic debut at the Games in Atlanta — four years after baseball joined in Barcelona. There has never been a men's softball tournament in the Olympics, nor a women's baseball — despite the fact that those things definitely exist and have been played at the Pan Am Games.
Following the Olympics in Athens, the IOC decided baseball and softball would be removed from the list of permanent Olympic sports after the Games in Beijing. One factor was a lack of competitive balance in softball. The United States had won all three gold medals since the sport was introduced, and in it outscored its opponents So, of course, the Americans went on to lose to Japan in the gold-medal game in Beijing. Another reason cited for softball and baseball getting kicked out of the Olympics was that the world's best baseball players don't participate.
But this reasoning doesn't apply to softball. Its top players, many of whom compete for U. Anyway, after losing their permanent status, baseball and softball were not played at the Olympics in London and the '16 Games in Rio.
But hosts are allowed to choose a handful of optional sports, and Japan is strong in both softball and baseball, which is very popular there. Unfortunately, you can't say the same about Paris, so softball and baseball will once again be dropped for the Olympics.
Though they share many common traits, softball and baseball are different sports with different rules. The biggest thing you'll notice along with the larger, yellow ball is that softball pitchers windmill the ball underhand, not overhand.
This is easier on the arm but doesn't produce as much velocity. Like their baseball counterparts, softball hurlers are capable of putting all kinds of filthy movement on their pitches by employing various grips that produce different spins and velocities. This is another reason why the pitchers you'll see in the Olympic softball tournament can be just as tough to hit as a major-league star like two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom.
And if you're untrained in deciphering their dark arts? Forget about it. In one famous experiment in , American star Jennie Finch's diabolical mix of fastballs and changeups proved untouchable for some of the greatest baseball hitters of all time.
Watch Pujols' attempt at catching up with Finch's heat here. Odds are we'll see another U. They're ranked No. But the No. They've come close before, placing fourth at the Olympics after losing their playoff game to eventual bronze medallist Australia. Also, Canada has taken bronze at three of the past five World Cups. The back and forth that we've had with Japan, Mexico and Canada over the last few years is strong. Australia's been a part of medaling in every Games. Everybody knows this is their only opportunity, so everybody's out for blood.
There was a sense of urgency for teams at the Games because softball and baseball won't be at the Paris Olympics — but will keep other new events introduced in Tokyo including surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing while adding breakdancing to the program. Decisions have not been made about the program for the Olympics in Los Angeles or the Olympics in Brisbane, Australia.
Because the U. Those benefits include an enormous platform to grow the audience for softball both domestically and abroad. Team USA pitcher Cat Osterman said showcasing softball on the Olympic stage is important for young athletes who want to see themselves represented in sports. You can be big, strong, short, quick, all different types of athlete and be successful.
Fernandez competed for all four previous Olympic softball teams and is now an assistant coach at UCLA. The former Team USA standout said that despite concerns about the sport's Olympic future, she was excited for the players who got to experience the Tokyo Games after the long hiatus.
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