“Because a few men might get mad” and “that’s the way it’s always been.” OK, so those aren’t exactly the reasons given, but I challenge you to find a better descriptor for what the chairperson of the league has provided.
I was genuinely curious what sorts of lame excuses were to come from the league committee chair this year, so I asked. You may recall that last year it was “to let it [the changes from 2023] settle”, a totally nonsensical non answer that was not acceptable then, and is not acceptable now.
In the final back-and-forth communications, we have finally arrived at a stalemate; but at least now I have some answers. What follows are those communications.
Softball Leinster,
Of 209 games in 2024, 6 lineups (of a total 418 lineups) comprised 7 men and 5 women – less than 2%.
The league could promote full compliance with WBSC rules and have gender balanced lineups, but instead has opted to deviate from the WBSC rules to implement a policy allowing for gender imbalance, with byelaw III 1.2.1, allowing two additional men batters.
Can the committee recognize they are going to great lengths to support a very rare instance of 7:5, for an incredibly small number of men, to keep them from simply having to sit out part of a game?
It is unclear how and why the committee chooses to deviate from the WBSC rules and purposefully introduce gender imbalance in the byelaws, without significant justification.
I’d like to understand your methodology – the process the committee undertook, the criteria used and the rationale put forward, to support and arrive at this decision. Can you provide these details?
Regards
Softball Leinster,
It has been over a week since my query regarding what process the committee followed to arrive at the decision to include a byelaw allowing a gender imbalance in lineups for Divisions 1 and 2 of the Softball Leinster league, and I have not received any response.
Perhaps the committee was mistaken in considering this byelaw a popular move, when empirical data proves otherwise. The committee can maintain credibility by requiring gender balanced lineups, as promoted by the WBSC.
This is a great opportunity to show the committee is responsive to evolving needs in the sport.
I’m sure that once the methodology used to arrive at a consensus to adhere to this outdated byelaw is shared, and the timely decision to walk back on this is made, I’ll look forward to playing again in a league that promotes gender equality.
Looking forward to your response.
Regards
After a week and asking for a response, I got it – here it is in full.
John,
the reason for the current committee including the 7:5 deviation from the WBSC rules in the Softball Leinster bye-laws for the 2025 season is the difference between political philosophy and realpolitik: it is intended as a transitional compromise to address a specific concern voiced at this year’s pre-season captain’s meeting, which is the benching of loyal male players.
It is the aim of the current committee to re-introduce gender-balanced and inclusive line-ups throughout the league but a decade or so of divergent bye-laws have left their mark on team and club demographics, which is a reality we cannot ignore, though we hope to encourage change.
Please note that I have taken the contacts from Sport Ireland and the WBSC out of this conversation because as Ms Park indicated, this is a regional or at the most national matter and I do not consider it appropriate to flood the email inboxes of uninvolved parties with this discussion.
Best regards,
… and now, for my final response. The league has made their decision, and I accept that. I have made my final decisions as well.
Softball Leinster,
Thank you for the response.
Transparency and accountability are not privileges or suggestions, they are fundamental obligations and essential duties. Sport Ireland and the WBSC have a responsibility to understand the rationale behind your decision-making process, whether or not they intervene. This deliberate creation of a gender imbalance cannot be hidden in secrecy, or justified with weak excuses. It must be confronted.A team captain, with the support of the Softball Ireland president, attends a preseason meeting and declares they have too many men on their roster; instead of managing their roster like everyone else, and simply asking men players to wait their turn to play, they request and receive a special rule that enables them to stack their batting order with man after man after man, against their opponent.
Where was the consultation with the membership of the league? Where was the feedback from other team captains who work very hard to achieve balanced lineups? Where was the data from games in divisions in which gender balanced lineup requirements have been successfully implemented? Where was the player survey to gauge opinions on achieving and maintaining gender balance? The answer is clear: none of this happened. And the message sent is also clear: the feelings of a handful of men trumps any commitment to gender equality.
What does this accomplish? Men, women, and non-binary players are silently leaving the sport that should be a place for inclusion and empowerment, because this league continues, year after year after year, to fail in fully supporting gender equality. This decision isn’t just a misstep or small regression; it is a betrayal of moral and ethical principles that a truly mixed sport should uphold. Sacrificing gender balance for the convenience of a few men and one or two teams who refuse to manage their own rosters with fairness and equity is disgraceful.
Let’s call this for what it is: selfishness, laziness, entitlement. The outcome? A sport that is dwindling in participation and morale because it consistently fails to prioritize what matters most: equity, inclusion, and growth.
This is your legacy. It is an embarrassing, shameful, and hypocritical legacy that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
Well, that ends softball for me, and for others of whom I’m aware will not tolerate the prospect of facing a batting lineup of man after man after man, at the expense of women and non-binary players. The league could resolve the issue with the stroke of a pen, it is a single byelaw that can easily be struck off. Unfortunately, they’ve chosen their path, and I’ve chosen mine. I won’t be surprised that the WBSC, Baseball Ireland, and Sport Ireland do not intervene, as it is a local issue; however, it is now documented they are well aware of it, and I hope this knowledge guides any future interactions with Softball Ireland and Softball Leinster.
FINAL FINAL ADDENDUM, 27 March
I was ready to let this go. I had asked what process they followed, they did not address this at all; I laid out what they did not do, the impact, and the legacy they’re leaving.
But the Softball Leinster chair sent me a reply, which I could not leave unanswered.
John,
the crowning irony of this situation is that you are attacking a Softball Leinster committee that is 5 out of 6 female, at least half under 40 years old, all new to these roles two years ago, and none of us responsible for the legacy mess we have to contend with as we are trying to undo a decade of policy.
Best regards,
Anke
Anke,
At no point have you been attacked; and I am completely unaware of the demographic makeup of the committee, it is completely irrelevant. To insinuate such is incredibly disappointing. That you consider it “ironic” that a man would stand up strongly in support of gender equality in sport, is offensive.
It is clear you are not willing to respond to any of the points put forward, or to even take responsibility for the actions of the current committee, and further discussion will not be productive.
The gaslighting is incredible. They are not being attacked, and I am not the problem. The insinuation that I am attacking them, and further because they are women, is absolutely outrageous. To consider it “ironic” that a man advocates for gender equality, is also ridiculous.
They “hope to encourage change”. Oh, if only they were in a position to actually make changes, says the LEAGUE COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON, the one who chairs the committee that decides what the byelaws should be! They never addressed any of the issues I laid out before them, and now they refuse to take responsibility for doing no assessment of the impact of their decisions, and also for decisions they made last season (the same people!) in choosing to perpetuate similar policies.