NY Times.
Massages vs. doubleheaders
The Women’s College World Series, which began yesterday, is one of the most popular events in college sports.
It is an eight-team softball tournament held every year in Oklahoma City, and the games frequently sell out. The television audience on ESPN is substantial, too. In the most recent previous tournament, 1.8 million people watched the final game, substantially more than have watched recent championship games of college soccer, hockey or lacrosse — men’s or women’s.
The popularity of softball makes it a telling study in the different ways that the N.C.A.A. treats female and male athletes. In terms of fan interest, softball ranks near the top of college sports. It is well behind football and basketball, but ahead of almost every other sport.
Yet the N.C.A.A. treats softball as a second-class sport, many athletes and coaches say.
The stadium that hosts the championship tournament has no showers; players and coaches must instead shower at their hotels. Off days between games are rare, and some teams have to play twice on the same day, increasing injury risk. The N.C.A.A. prefers the condensed schedule to hold down hotel and meal costs, coaches have told Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman.
You summed it all up right there. Same shit, different day.
What is the designated/usual purpose of use for a stadium that has been built without shower/washroom facilities?
In this case, it was built for softball in 1987.
But the venue where the tournament is hosted, USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium, has lagged behind the men’s facilities for years by virtually every measure. Coaches recall frustrating battles with the NCAA and their hosts for the most basic amenities.
Until 2011, there were no locker rooms; players changed into their uniforms at their hotels or on the bus. There were no bathrooms in the stadium dugouts, forcing players to run along the baseline or into the stands to share bathrooms with fans. When coaches begged for bathrooms, they arrived the next year at the tournament to find a portable toilet waiting for them in the dugout.
Hey look, volleyball gets treated like shit, also. I guess the NCAA really is equal opportunity after all.
According to Big Ten Network’s Emily Ehman, multiple coaches have said the convention center’s practice courts are “sport court layered over cement flooring,” a combination that’s “very high risk for injury and NOT suitable for players’ safety — especially any players jumping repeatedly,” an obvious issue for volleyball players. And Nebraska coach John Cook told the Associated Press that coaches are also concerned about the overall setup of the convention center, which will house four competition courts in two halls and eight practice courts crammed into a third. In the first and second rounds, four matches will be played at the same time, which is more like a high-school tournament, Cook noted.
Gazooks.
Would be interesting to know what other world class facilities it had when built if change rooms didn’t get added for nearly a quarter of a century?
State of the Art hot dog stands?
I bet it’s a vending machine with candy bars in it.
I’m no fan of softball at all, but even I can agree that having the final at 3 PM on a weekday is ridiculous. I guess maybe it benefits the fans as they don’t have to pay for another hotel night but it definitely isn’t good for television.