An open Letter by Jessica Mendoza
Softball Back in the Olympics
Hey team!
As many of you know, there is a vote this October in Denmark to get softball back into the Olympic games for 2016. As of now, they are planning to possibly add at least two sports and it is between us, baseball, rugby, golf, motocross and karate. We definitely have a chance. However, we need to do all that it takes to help. I am serving as an Ambassador for Back Softball which will be the group in Denmark pleading the case to the IOC.
As for American support, this list is specifically how they need our help: http://www.internationalsoftball.com/backsoftball/Flyer.pdf. This is a digital link and I am hoping that we, as the US softball Olympians can influence and spread the word in these next critical months by having as many people as possible do as much as they can from this list. As you will see, it can be as simple as going onto their site on Facebook or watching their YouTube video to spreading the word or donating money to the campaign. We need to go into that meeting with NUMBERS, showing how many clicks YouTube and Facebook got (this is the day we live in now), showing the amount of people supporting this sport.
For those of you that have websites, feature this link on your home page (I just put “Want to get softball back in the Olympics?” and they click to get this link), so every softball fan that comes through has a way to help. Print up this list and hand it out at your clinics, email it to your teams, fans, friends and family. Coming from us will resonate a lot — plus, I think every softball fan is searching for a way to get it back, we just need to direct them to the same place.
If you have any questions, please let me know. I am also selling Back Softball merchandise at clinics to raise money and awareness for the campaign as well, if any of you are interested in that, let me know.
Thank you for your time and help with this! Hopefully we will get this back for future girls and women to experience what we have been so blessed to do!
Jessica Mendoza
Official Website of Jessica Mendoza
Join the International Softball Federation’s (ISF) efforts to get women’s fast pitch softball reinstated in 2009 by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the 2016 Summer Games.
- Visit www.BackSoftball.com. Read the press release and ten-point blueprint so you’re well versed on the matter.
- Contact the media to have them give more attention to this issue
- Speak out on the matter with a posting in the “Support Olympic Softball” category on the official ISF website’s Message Board
- Keep copies of this flyer circulating between now and the IOC’s October 2009 vote to increase the chances of exposure
- Contact people that you know in other countries and encourage them to get involved so that softball can show its universality and not be labeled as “just a U.S. sport”
- Wear Back Softball merchandise Website to draw more attention to the campaign
- Attend international softball events or watch them on TV or online (a calendar of such tournaments can be found in the Events section of www.internationalsoftball.com)
- Visit Back Softball’s (and the ISF’s) page on Facebook and, while there, click on ‘Become a Fan’ (registration is free at www.facebook.com)
- Watch videos at www.youtube.com/ISFsoftball to help demonstrate the interest in and demand for interacting with the sport
- Make a donation to the reinstatement campaign, either via the YouTube channel or the Back Softball homepage
- Tell others – friends, family, co-workers, neighbors – about the current situation with Olympic Softball, and get them to act on the above steps.
(NOTE: The ISF has determined that petitions are not appropriate for this campaign. Also, contact should not be made with IOC Members and the Olympic family.)