Okay, it’s official...I’m irritated. The Women’s College World Series (WCWS) of Softball is long over now, but I wanted to take a little time to decide if my ire would mellow in a month or so. It turns out it hasn’t, so up I go on my soapbox.
I was watching a Super Regional on ESPN recently, and just as with any recent “TV” game, all the players were made-up, lots of mascara, lipstick, foundation and even some eye shadow. Glitter and big hair ribbons were everywhere. Hair was perfectly in place with plenty of product. Some players had designer sunglasses (not “sport” sunglasses, mind you) and there wasn’t a visor or cap in sight. It was a very bright day, with a light sky and the sun was high, but one can make an educated guess that the dearth of sunglasses wasn’t from lack of money, but rather from a desire to not hide the baby-blues or browns or greens for the camera. Holy cow.
Were you aware that many college softball teams now have “image consultants” who do hair and makeup and consultation before games? Seriously? Okay...just to set the record straight, I’m fine with wanting to look good – as long as it doesn’t affect performance. In this game, and in several others I’ve recently watched, it absolutely DID affect performance. In this particular game, I watched as not one, but TWO easy pop-ups were dropped because the players couldn’t see the ball. Why? No sunglasses and -- eegads and horror should you wear one – no visor. The coach was beside himself and had words with both players when they got in the dugout. One went back out with sunglasses and the other – a shortstop – went back out with both sunglasses and visor, and amazingly, although she likely failed her screen test for Hollywood after that, she caught the rest of the balls....including another pop up.
When did this game become more about image than performance? It’s a complicated, double-edged sword for sure. There are many, many more softball games on tv now than ever before. But at what cost? The TV games obviously are big money for the teams and the NCAA, and the “hotter” the girls look while playing, the more viewership, the greater the advertising dollars, etc. Do we want a higher profile for softball so it can get back in the Olympics? Of course. Are we happy that softball is on tv more? Yep. But are we willing to compromise the integrity of the game and the level of play for the media’s perceptions of “sex sells” and their distorted idea of feminine beauty? I sincerely hope the answer to that one is “no,” but I fear I may be swept away with the tide on this one, and I’m not talking about the Crimson one from Alabama.
As I said, I know it’s complicated. I, myself, feel pressure to affirm my femininity by putting on at least some minimal make-up before I play. I’m never sure whether that is pressure from my peers and teammates or from perceptions of others, or maybe it just makes me feel better. For others, they may also be hoping to attract a life mate, and make it clear they are feminine women in addition to being “athletes.” As a couple of studies have also recently revealed, the “hyper-femininity” expressed by some female athletes may also be the result of trying to overcome the false perceptions that the great majority of female athletes are lesbian.
Whatever the motivation (and again, I’ve felt the pressure myself), the end results are not always good. I see the trickle down to several 13- and 14-year-old girls I work with at my baseball and softball academy, and it was clearly evident when I was guest-coaching an 18U team, where image is really, really important – and to the extreme with the Super Regional teams I watched – to the point of making errors and sacrificing good, solid softball play in favor of “looking good.”
Oh...and the team that made the errors? They lost the game. A female athlete’s true beauty is not in make-up and hair ribbons, and I won’t be corny and say, the true beauty is “inner beauty” -- but I will submit that the true beauty of a female softball player is in the way she executes that perfectly turned double play, or a diving catch, or a good slap hit, or a great reach-back face-first slide...or, as the case may be, just catching an infield pop-up. I’ll take this kind of real beauty over the kind that comes off with a make-up remover cloth any day.
So...Go for REAL beauty -- grab those visors and sports shades along with your glove, and hit the diamonds, ladies, cuz even with a pop-up, there ain’t nothin’ soft about it!
Tiffany Brooks lives in Spokane and gives lessons and clinics to students of all ages. If you have comments or column suggestions, she can be reached at gutallstop@hotmail.com