Ambassadors tout passion for the game on World Softball Day
World Softball Day received special recognition in the heart of New York City on Thursday, with several well-known players celebrating the occasion in the heart of Times Square.
MLB Youth Ambassador Lauren Gipson (Chamberlain) and MLB Softball Ambassador Natasha Watley spent their morning growing the game and teaching the next generation, helping host a baseball and softball PLAY BALL event for young kids.
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“Today is an exciting day,” Watley said. “What better way to spend the day than in Times Square? We’ve got some fun little kiddos and the Girl Scouts, so it’s just fun to share the day with them and share our passion and love for the game.”
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Thousands of current and former softball players of all ages come together every year on June 13 to celebrate the growth of the sport they love, but also to promote the importance of physical activity. After softball made its Olympic debut at the 1996 games, the sport has continued to soar in popularity. June 13 officially became World Softball Day in 2005, and now in 2024, more than 40 million Americans play it.
Gipson, a 2013 Oklahoma Softball National Champion and former No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch draft, and Watley, a 2004 Softball Olympic Gold Medalist, headlined the event. Both have traveled this year to Kansas City, New Orleans, Houston and Washington D.C., among other cities, to host softball clinics at youth academies, including one at the Washington Nationals Youth Academy. There are many more stops to come, including one in Compton, Calif., this fall.
“It’s been really cool just to put some emphasis on the individual youth academies and give them some attention,” Gipson said. “It’s been awesome. I think with MLB’s help in doing events like these to spread the cause and promote bat and ball sports, we are seeing a lot of growth at the youth level.”
These ambassadors have seen firsthand the growth of the game, from the youth level to the professional and Olympic levels. Among the prominent softball personalities joining the World Softball Day festivities were NiJaree Canady, a standout sophomore pitcher at Stanford who recently earned 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year honors, and A.J. Andrews, a pro softball player and host for MLB Network.
Being a part of the PLAY BALL Weekend events in some of the biggest cities in the country remind these stars not only how far the game has come, but how impactful it has been to their lives.
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“Where do I begin? This game has just impacted me deeply,” Watley said. “It’s given me a life that I couldn’t have even dreamt of -- friendships, opportunities and now this role that we are playing as softball ambassadors. I can’t believe it’s a job -- we get to share our love and passion for the game and try to inspire the next [generation].”
Said Gipson: “I would say that softball continues to open doors for us, even at our age. At the youth level, you don’t really realize that the sport that you are playing can take you so far and you can do so many incredible things.”
MLB’s work with softball clinics, youth events and finding ambassadors has continued to grow and will only blossom further in the years to come with Gipson and Watley leading the charge. While they haven’t done it alone, they hope their legacy leaves a mark on the next generation of kids not only on the diamond, but off of it as well.
“My biggest advice is just honestly, purely keeping the passion and keeping the fun,” Watley said. “Continue to get to the game, hone in on your craft and just embrace the passion because it will impact you way beyond the game, even when they are done and they retire.”