Everyone that has ever seen the movie A League of Their Own knows the line that Tom Hanks is famous for: “There’s no crying in baseball!” Well, here at ETSU we’re going to modify this line to: “There’s no chanting in softball!”
I have been to a number of ETSU softball games, and the one thing that drives me crazy is the constant chanting that goes on throughout the entire game.
I have the greatest respect for women athletes, but I don’t know why they think chanting helps their game.
If anyone has been to a baseball game, they know that the male athletes do not get up to scream cheers at the player at bat, so why do softball players?
Women athletes want to be treated as athletes and not cheerleaders, so why do they chant instead of letting the fans have at it?
Do the chants make the game more fun? Do they motivate team members?
I don’t know, but those would be my only two guesses because I don’t know any another reason why you would want to torture your fans.
Baseball and softball games both have music that goes on when players are at bat, which is fine, not annoying, but come on … cheering for every player?
And this isn’t just ETSU – it’s all colleges – so maybe it’s been going on for many years, and there’s a tradition behind it. Well, I’m here to say this is one tradition that should just be left to die.
The ironic part about this scenario is if you were to ask one of the softball players what they thought about cheerleaders, they would more than likely say they’re annoying and worthless. So what’s the difference?
Softball does not get as much attention as baseball, and I’m sure that the players would like to change this, so here’s a little suggestion … stop the chanting.
One way to do this is to focus on the skills that these ladies possess, not the cheers that they scream at their teammates.
The ETSU softball team has tremendous talent that should be showcased at every game, so do it.
Don’t force the crowd to be subjected to the high-pitched screams of 20 women.
The fans never join in, so I’m assuming that I’m not the only one that is not impressed.
For once, I would like to go to a softball game and enjoy the talents shown by the ladies. Not leave the game thinking that I need to find the nearest convenient store to find a bottle of aspirin.

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