BRISTOL, Connecticut, U.S.A. — Women deserve their own baseball team.
There are women’s softball teams but baseball is different. In Bristol, at least, teams usually have only one or two girls on a team of mostly boys. Bristol also has adult baseball teams for men, but not women.
Most people don’t see a problem. They think baseball and softball are just about the same thing. Those people are wrong.
First of all, pitching is different.
In baseball, pitches are overhand, harder and faster. In softball, pitches are underhand and a little softer and slower.
Most girls would like the chance to pitch overhand in a game because that’s the way they’re used to throwing the ball.
Another difference is a softball is about twice the size of a baseball.
Most girls would appreciate the challenge of a ball twice as large, which won’t go as far as easily.
Usually you don’t see softball on television or hear it on the radio. They have women’s basketball and swimming and many other sports, but it’s about time they had women’s baseball. If women played baseball, they’d get more coverage in the media.
The move toward separate women’s baseball teams should start in schools. Girls want to begin playing but no one hears them.
It’s time to change things. Women should be allowed to compete separately against one another in the same manner as men.
Until then, I’ll go on pitching — underhanded.
Danielle Letourneau is a Reporter for Youth Journalism International.
