[Alsfastball] What If.....??

[Mike Groves]

Good Evening from Washington on a gorgeous summer's evening.  Anytime we 
here in the nation's capital can get a summer weekend without the wet 
blanket humidity so typical of our summer daze, we get out & revel in it.

However, now that I'm sitting in front of my keyboard tonight, I would like 
to pose a "what if?" for your perusal & your consumption.  And, hopefully, 
your feedback to Doran's site.  After all, Doran's website has become the 
pulse of fastball, and opinions registered here are closely monitored 
across our planet.

Those who have been to an International Softball Congress World Tournament 
know that there is no other event in our sport that can touch it.  The 
competition is superb, in fact the teams are the best in the world, bar 
none.  The atmosphere is electric.  Thousands of fans pack the stands.  It 
is a week of camaraderie and competition and it is unique in sport.

Open berths for this year's WT in Fargo, North Dakota could be classified 
as "slim" and "none," with "slim" having just left town on that proverbial 
last horse.  As a result, several very good teams will not be able to 
compete in Fargo.  The dearth of open berths is just one of those reasons.

What if a concept could be implemented that guaranteed the top teams in the 
world ISC WT berths?  And at the same time "brought the ISC Major game to 
the people?"  Would that be a win-win situation?

I have heard from many people over the past few years & thus I will say 
right off the bat that in no way is this my original idea.  Yes, I think 
it's a good concept & it has solid merits.  And so here is what I am 
putting in front of you for your perusal:

The formation of an ISC Super League (or another suitable name).  The 
League would consist of the top 8 or 10 teams in the world, based on ISC 
rankings, and it would compete over the course of a set number of 
weekends.  Each team in this league would be guaranteed a WT berth.  The 
cities where this league would compete could be home cities for some of the 
teams in the league.  Or, not.  Ponder this:  the league could play in 
areas where fastball needs exposure, or in areas where the game needs a 
boost to existing local leagues, or in areas where the game is strong yet 
never sees Major ball, or in new regions to "spread the word" about our 
game.  The Major teams already spend thousands of dollars going to the 
invitationals to compete against each other.  This would get that level of 
competition as well as increase visibility for our sport.

Along with the weekend competitions could be a Sunday clinic for male 
ballplayers.  The best in the world spending time with players who want to 
get into this game or who want to improve.  We all know that dreams are 
born & sustained when a younger player is able to be around the best 
players in the game.

The ISC would need to select weekends that would not conflict with the 
established & terrific invitationals.  That's a given.  The people who run 
the invitationals in Canada & America do a terrific job of putting together 
world-class events and that has to respected.  What they do has helped keep 
fastball alive.

This could be one step closer to a pro league without the incredible cost 
of underwriting all the expenses of a professional league.  In fact, this 
could be a pro league in everything except the salaried players - for the 
near-term.  If it takes off, and the sponsors are able to actually be 
recompensed for their expenditures, a professional league is a mere shuffle 
step from this concept.  The structure would already be in place for it and 
the pain of transition would be minimal.

This league could get the word out about the ISC as the premier 
organization of fastball.

This league could spark more participation on a local level when players & 
coaches realize that there is a Major level of ball, that they can SEE 
right in their own neighborhood, in fact damn near professional in all its 
trappings, to aspire to.

This could finally (!) get the media interested in our game as more than 
just a once-a-year August hoot & holler.  The media would realize that this 
game is not just rec ball & that it has a base of fans & support & funding 
& that the game has a consistency of appearance on the North American scene.

This concept could get baseball players, the majority of whom haven't a 
clue about fastball, interested in playing a great game that is all about 
competition.

To get these berths to the WT from the Super League the ISC could combine 
certain regions.  Several ISC Travel Leagues have receded to lower levels 
of competition and are played on weeknights.  Are these truly Major-caliber 
leagues?  By combining these leagues / regions, berths would be available 
for  the teams that are truly the top of the game.  And that's what the ISC 
is all about, the best players having the ability to compete against top 
competition.  The berth situation would become more equitable than it is now.

Teams could get expenses defrayed through the purchasing power of the 
league.  If 10 teams come to town with 200 athletes, assorted coaches, 
fans, etc., hotels can be induced to work better deals.  Hotel, rental car, 
soft drinks, beer distributors, restaurant chains, and a bevy of other 
prospective league underwriters could be attained as the commercial 
entities realize that this is a moving item with the power of participation 
behind it.

Start the league in warm weather locales in May, move it gradually north 
into June & July.  Expand the season into April, where once upon a time 
most teams started their seasons.  Due to expenses, more & more Major teams 
are cutting back on scheduling, and who can blame them?  Without 
remuneration to the sponsors, it's a tough slog these days for anyone to 
underwrite a Major ball team in this game.  In time, however, the Super 
League could generate a gate, along with free uniforms & equipment & air 
travel & rental cars & possibly a share of concessions, and thus that 
revenue can begin to defray team owner expenses.  Perhaps the day will come 
when players are able to be paid for what they do & team owners don't lose 
tens of thousands of dollars each summer.

The league would have official stats.  Press releases.  Possibly, 
trades.  Official ISC umpires would travel with the league.  City 
convention bureaus would love to have something like this roll into town on 
a regular basis.

Again, this is only an attempt by yours truly to condense some good ideas 
into a consumable topic for you.  What do you think?  Obviously, there 
would be pros & cons.  The bottom line is that such a super league would:
1. Not interfere with existing invitationals.
2. Get the sport one step closer to a legitimate pro league, certainly in 
image to the public & to the media prior to the reality of a pro league & 
all of its trappings, yet retain the strength of the ISC as its organizing 
& controlling  entity.
3. Get media exposure for the game.
4. Spur interest in our game from prospective players.
5. Raise the game's profile so that media would take note, and once the 
media jumps on the bandwagon, the various money spigots open up, and that 
translates into more venues & more success for the sport.

I look forward to the posting of your responses on Doran's site.  As a 
card-carrying ISC Player Representative, I would be very amenable to 
proposing this concept to the ISC Executive Board in August of 2004 for 
immediate implementation.

regards,

Michael Groves
Washington, DC
USA
<mailto:falcon at fedlock.com>falcon at fedlock.com
tel 703-525-1436
fax 703-525-1637




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