Canadian outfielder Hayward appreciates softball's Unlimited potential
American pro women's softball loop is in its second season in Rosemont, Ill., and once again features that fantasy sports scoring model.
Six weeks after helping the Canadian women’s softball team capture bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, outfielder Victoria Hayward is getting a chance to stay in the swing of things.
Hayward is joined there by four of her Team Canada teammates. Pitcher Sara Groenewegen, 26, of Surrey and infielder Kelsey Harshman, 24, a Tucson, Ariz., native whose mother is from Delta, are both part of the contingent in Rosemont, while infielder Joey Lye, 34, of Toronto is a member of the training staff, and pitcher Danielle Lawrie, 34, of Langley is an analyst for the game broadcasts.
Softball is in a peculiar spot. It was dropped from the Olympics after the Beijing 2008 Games but was brought back for Tokyo thanks to new rules that allow host countries to add a handful of sports for their particular Olympics that are popular in the region.
Paris 2024 has already stated that they won’t be including softball in its added sports, but softball folks are hoping that it will be back for Los Angeles 2028. Until then, it will need assistance to maintain its profile. Athletes Unlimited returning for a second season — they’ve also done a season already of women’s field lacrosse and women’s volleyball — suggests that it’s capable of lending a hand.
Hayward liked how prepared they were. She liked that they wanted the players to run the league. The players decide the rules, they recruit new talent. Patricof and Soros are on-board with the idea that promoting the individuals more than the teams could be a hook.
“We’re trying to create something special,” Hayward said. “We’re here to support the field lacrosse and the volleyball. We’re here to support one another. We’re here to empower one another. We like the idea that you maybe come in as a fan of one sport but you become a fan of all of Athletes Unlimited.
“We’ve seen quite a few fans who have fallen in love with the points system and they get into following the individual leaderboard and become softball fans because of it.”
Hayward joined the Canadian team in 2009, so she’s well-versed in how the sport operates when it’s not a part of the Olympics. There’s less media attention, less sponsorship money. The Canada Cup, the annual summer tournament at Softball City in Surrey introduced originally to give this country’s national team a showcase event and help them prepare for softball’s introduction to the Games with Atlanta 1996, attracts more international teams during an Olympic cycle.
“I’ve talked to women on other Olympic teams and there’s a sense of pride about how we showcased our sport in Tokyo,” said Hayward. “Seeing the excitement in Canada about our team winning a medal tells you where we are at there. For people to appreciate it like that was so special.
“We created some moments. We have people saying, ‘We want softball in the Olympics.’ I’ve felt that from fans and from Canadians especially. That’s something that maybe I hadn’t felt before. So as much as this (not being in Paris 2024) hurts, there’s hope for 2028 and hope that we can stay in the Olympics in the future.”