Authors: Timothy Hatten, Adrian Thomas and Shaine Henert
Corresponding Author:
Timothy L. Hatten, Ph.D, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, DCT
3301 N. Mulford Road
Rockford, IL. 61114
t.hatten@rockvalleycollege.edu
815-921-3816
Timothy Hatten is a Full Professor and Academic Chair in the Department of Fitness, Wellness and Sport at Rock Valley College. Dr. Hatten has over 30 years of experience, playing, managing and sponsoring male fastpitch softball.
Adrian Thomas, Helford Endowed Chair of Psychology, is currently the Director of Industrial and Organizational Psychology Ph.D. Program and a Full Professor at Roosevelt University.
Shaine Henert is an Associate Professor and Program Director in the Deparment of Kinesiolgy and Physical Education at Northern Illinois University.
Solutions to Declining Participation Rates in United States Male Fastpitch Softball
ABSTRACT
The sport of fastpitch softball (FS) has been popular in American sports and recreation dating back to at least 1933 with the formation of the Amateur Softball Association (ASA), the sport’s governing body (5). In the United States, after a meteoric rise in participation through most of the century, more recently male fastpitch softball (MFS) has seen an equally dramatic downward trend in participation rates.
The purpose of the current study was to obtain baseline beliefs about the etiology of the decreasing participation rates in MFS from current participatory stakeholders. A survey of nine questions was distributed to the FS community via Survey Monkey through two softball websites that disseminate information about MFS. The survey was placed on Al’s Fastball and Fastpitch West FS internet sites for one month and (n=415) current and former participants, coaches and/or sponsors completed the survey. The current study participants felt strongly that the major reasons for the decline in participation included the importance of local adult leagues (95.9%), lack of media exposure (88.9%), loss of boy’s youth FS programs (88.6%) and the increasing costs (88.2%) associated with MFS. When asked how the governing body of softball might address these reasons for the observed decline in participation respondents deemed increasing youth involvement (42.4%) as the number one potential solution. In order, the other areas that participants felt were important were developing new pitchers (36.9%), improving grassroots programs (29.6%), and increasing media exposure (27.1%). Declining participation rates in MFS has been an ongoing issue for many years and many rationales for the decline have been offered by both experts and novices. By going directly to the real stakeholders, in MFP, it is hoped that outcomes of the current study include empirical confirmation for some oft voiced reasons for the decline in participation as well as providing some real solutions for reversing the trend.
Keywords: Participation Rates, Development, Fastpitch Softball, National Governing Body
INTRODUCTION
Sport has become a major attraction within leisure and sport tourism industries (12). Organized softball has long been a staple of American sport and recreation dating back to 1933 with the formation of the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) [Currently branded as USA Softball], the sport’s national governing body (5). Men’s fastpitch softball (MFS) was invented in the United States and enjoys a rich and popular history (6). In 2005, Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), formerly the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), research indicated that baseball and softball participation decreased over the previous decade (10). SFIA attributed the observed decline to an overall decline in non-organized recreational play (10). In 2005, Jess Heald (1) the Executive Director of Play Ball USA, specifically stated that MFS was losing participation numbers, as were most team sports, due to a wide variety of reasons including broad social changes in society. Heald further indicated that such social changes served to reduce participation in MFS by creating increased time constraints, changing priorities, increased technology use and a much wider variety of recreational, non-recreational, and sport choices(1).
Understanding Sports Participation
Participation in team sports is a common form of recreation and physical activity for adolescents through adulthood (11). The values of participation (mental, physical, and psychological) in sport activities for individuals in society have long been established (3). The Physical Activity Council’s annual participation report indicated that 68,325,609 people participated at least one time in an organized team sport activity (9). Research data indicates that sports participation rates peak at age 11 and then are followed by a steady decline into and through adulthood (2). Others have confirmed that participation steadily declines with age (7). While these trends across the lifespan of individual participants are important, the overall trend combining generations of participants are a much larger concern. In 2007, Vail (16) reported that stagnant and declining sport participation rates have been and continue to be a growing global concern too.
The SFIA President and CEO Tom Cove stated that the struggling U.S. economy, the emergence of developing sports, overall declines in ‘pickup’ play, and a rising interest in single-sport specialization has negatively affecting the entire team sports environment (13). One of the key factors mentioned in Cove’s statement is the fact that the economy is hurting sports participation. Many families have not been able to afford to pay the basic fees for their children to play in local recreational sports programs much less play on more competitive but even more costly travel teams (13). In a 2015 interview with the digital news outlet Quartz, Cove stated, “something about the American sports experience is not working as well as it should be [working].” Cove went on to say that youth sports have become too elite, too competitive, and too costly (1).
Participation and Men’s Fastpitch Softball
Overall decreasing participation rates in adult and youth sports may have an effect on the participation rates of MFS. The SFIA reported in 2000 that there were 3.8 million individuals who participated in FS in 1999 in the United States (12). Of this 3.8 million only 36% of those individuals were male (1.37 million) (12). SFIA reported seventeen years later that the number of men participating dropped to 1.163 million participants or a decrease of 15% in just over 17 years (15). With a decrease of just under one percent per year, one would think that there would be plenty of time to reverse this trend. However, the problem is actually a more pressing concern due to compounding factors over time of teams not having (or having fewer and fewer) other teams to play in their geographical areas. This becomes even more multiplicative as there is also a lack of any true youth development programs that introduce young males to FS governing body of softball (5).
Another contributor to the drop off is the shift in softball from a largely recreational activity to a game sullied by individuals more concerned with finances than fun. A number of teams are securing sponsorships from deep-pocketed sponsors that willingly spend large amounts of money on the softball teams that bear either their companies’ or their products’ logos – at times even going so far as to pay players salaries and traveling expenses (5). These corporate-sponsored teams then buy up as much talent as possible – even assembling teams with players from different parts of the country – sacrificing team camaraderie and chemistry for victories (5). “The buying of players is discouraging grassroots sponsors, coaches and smaller organizations from investing their time and resources into developing players,” says Ken Hackmeister, executive director of the International Softball Congress. “Because once they are developed, these players are often bought by an elite team sponsor (4).”
These Major League-like tactics have helped rob casual players of the fraternal experience softball provides for them, and in its place, introduced a manufactured atmosphere, one in which the best players play on the best teams, and in turn dominate local leagues and local tournaments. Because the focus is no longer on recreation, but instead on winning championships, many teams with less talent eventually become frustrated and find that it is not worthwhile for them to continue playing (5). This, in turn, then likely leads to many of those local teams to stop playing which leads to local leagues and local tournaments disappearing to further the cycle of declining participation across the entire sport.
Youth programs are the foundation of any adult sport program. USA Softball has attempted to resurrect their male youth development program to improve not only overall participation rates, but to create a more competitive USA male Junior Olympic Team in international competition. In 2002, USA Softball’s Boys Fastpitch Committee created a strategic plan to revive their boy’s fastpitch program (8). At that time USA Softball identified the following weaknesses for developing a competitive junior boy’s (JB) national team: Insufficient youth pitchers, lack of awareness among prospective young athletes, the need to market to a larger audience, and emerging new international competition as barriers to reviving the JB national program (8). In the same document (8), USA Softball identified the following threats to reviving the JB fastpitch program: international player development abroad, new technology enhancing competitors’ development, economic situations reducing demand, team sponsors becoming cost sensitive to funding teams, and international growth attracting major competitiveness.
Currently MFS is still being played and participated within the United States. However, the MFS sport has experienced declining in participation rates over the past 30 years. The fact that the SFIA has invested both time and resources to research participation trends in both fitness and sport programming demonstrates the economic impact that sport participation may have on the sport industry. With the historical popularity of MFS, in organizations such as USA Softball and its allied members such as the International Softball Congress (ISC), National Softball Association (NSA) and the North American Softball Association (NAFA), it would make sense that these organizations would have a vested interest in reversing this decline. The purpose of the study was the first attempt to provide recommendations and solutions for the declining participation rates in MFS from the participant’s perspective.
METHODS
Participants
Current and former participants (n = 415) in MFS responded to the survey. The sample included a wide diversity of individuals with an interest and expertise in MFS. Respondents included current and former players, coaches, and sponsors from varying levels of play, years of experience in the game, geographical locations, educational backgrounds, and income levels. While the primary interest of the present study was American MFS decline and solutions to reverse that decline, the sample included respondents representing a variety of countries and Puerto Rico (U.S. territory). The current authors felt that inclusion of participants from outside of the United States, where decline has been less prevalent and MFS infrastructure is more developed, might provide equally useful information regarding the solutions of declining in participation rates in MFS. It is quite common for international stakeholders to participate in MFP events in the United States and play for club teams that reside in the United States.
The authors posted a message on two
internet websites focusing on MFS
(i.e., http://www.alsfastball.com and http://www.fastpitchwest.com/forum/) that
explained the purpose of the study and the survey that was available to be
taken. Those that were interested in
providing their opinions and completing the survey were allowed to do so by
clicking a survey link within the solicitation message.
Measurement Tool
Thesurvey was distributed online for one month via Survey Monkey to two online websites focusing on disseminating and sharing information about MFS. The survey consisted of demographic and participation questions. It also included nine statements asking the participants their views on why the participation rates in men’s game have declined over the past 30 years. The survey responses were created using a Likert-type scale centering on the decline in MFS participation rates (Strongly Agree, Agree, No Opinion, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree). One additional question assessed participants’ opinions regarding the role of FS governing agencies in developmental activities.
The Survey was patterned after the suggested and hypothesized reasons for the decline voiced in previous research (1, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 13). Demographics included stakeholders’ ages and geographical location as described in Table 1. Men’s fastpitch softball participation data included competition level, years of participation, days per week participating, and number of teams participating on. Frequency analyses were completed for the Likert-type scale responses to the nine questions regarding the decline in MFS participation. Frequency analyses were also completed for the ranking of participants’ opinions regarding the role of FS governing agencies in developmental activities as potential solutions to the decline in MFS.
RESULTS
The predominant age group of those completing the survey was 34-39 years of age (26.4 %). Participants who completed the survey were from a variety of countries and Puerto Rico (U.S. territory), with the vast majority of the responses coming from Canada (21.3%) and the United States (75.8%). The yearly income of the respondents were evenly distributed with 40-50 thousand (U.S. Dollars) identified as the most common income range at 16.2%. Lastly, the most commonly selected level of education was a four-year college degree, chosen by 42.3% of the respondents. The complete range of responses of the participant profile is displayed in Table 1.
Table 1: Participant Profile
| Age | Geographical Location | Yearly Income ( ,000) | Level of Education | ||||
| 23-Under | 3.10% | Argentina | 0.20% | 0-30 | 9.20% | < HS Education | 0.50% |
| 24-28 | 12.10% | Australia | 0.70% | 30-40 | 15.20% | HS Degree | 22.50% |
| 29-33 | 21.50% | Canada | 21.30% | 40-50 | 16.20% | 2 Year College Degree | 21.30% |
| 34-39 | 26.40% | Denmark | 0.50% | 50-60 | 15.00% | 4 Year College Degree | 42.30% |
| 40-44 | 16.20% | Netherlands | 0.20% | 60-70 | 11.30% | Masters Degree | 10.10% |
| 45-49 | 7.50% | New Zealand | 1.00% | 70-80 | 8.80% | Professional Degree | 3.40% |
| 50-Over | 13.10% | Puerto Rico | 0.20% | 80-90 | 5.60% | (JD, MD, Ph.D., DC, etc) | |
| USA | 75.80% | 90-100 | 6.40% | ||||
| 100+ | 12.30% | ||||||
The participation profile is displayed in Table 2. The respondents came from a variety of participatory levels of competition. The largest response came from those involved with teams who compete at the NAFA: AA, USA Softball: B and ISC: II levels of competition, with 22.5% of the respondents choosing this competition level. Of those completing the survey, the predominant number of years participating in MFS was over 20 years (51.3%). The respondents reported that 38.1% participated in MFS three days per week. Lastly, 40.3% of the respondents participated on two teams per year.
Table 2: Participant Participation Profile
| Participation Level | Total Years of Participation | ||
| NAFA (Major), ASC (Major, ISC I) | 21.80% | 1-3 | 1.20% |
| NAFA (AAA), ASA (A), ISC (II) | 16.10% | 4-6 | 7.50% |
| NAFA (AA Major), ASA (A), ISC (II) | 13.20% | 7-9 | 5.60% |
| NAFA (AA), ASA (B), ISC (II) | 22.50% | 10-12 | 10.20% |
| NAFA (A Major), ASA (C), | 16.10% | 13-15 | 9.20% |
| NAFA (A), ASA (C), | 14.40% | 16-19 | 14.80% |
| 23 and Under | 13.00% | 20+ | 51.30% |
| Days/week of Participation in a Season | # of Teams Participate with in a Season | ||
| One | 10.50% | One | 36.90% |
| Two | 27.60% | Two | 40.30% |
| Three | 38.10% | Three | 17.60% |
| Four | 15.90% | Four | 3.20% |
| Five or more | 7.90% | Five or more | 2.00% |
The primary purpose of this study was to gain greater insight, from the current and former MFS participants, on solutions to the decreasing participation rates in MFS in the USA. The survey is the first formal attempt to capture baseline perspectives about providing solutions to the declining participation rates in MFS from those who have previously or are currently investing much time, energy and resources in MFS. Table 3 presents a summary of the responses to the nine statements regarding the participants’ views about solutions to the declining participation rates in MFS.
Table 3: Survey Results
| 1. Men’s fastpitch softball player participation will decline to a point that men will never have the opportunity to participate in the sport of fastpitch softball again. (n=415) | ||||
| Strongly Agree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
| 9.5%(40) | 49.9%(207) | 2.4%(10) | 33.5%(139) | 4.6%(19) |
| 2. The decline of pitchers the #1 cause of player participation decline. (n=415) | ||||
| Strongly Agree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
| 22.7%(94) | 43.6%(181) | 2.9%(12) | 26.7%(111) | 4.1%(17) |
| 3. The governing body of softball (ASA) responsible for the decline of player participation in men’s fastpitch softball. (n=414) | ||||
| Strongly Agree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
| 19.3%(80) | 34.3%(142) | 22.7%(94) | 21.3%(88) | 2.4%(10) |
| 4. Boys youth fastpitch programs important to increasing overall adult participation numbers. (n=414) | ||||
| Strongly Agree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
| 55.6%(230) | 32.6%(135) | 5.3%(22) | 5.8%(24) | 0.7%(3) |
| 5. Media exposure (radio, TV, Internet,) is important to increasing player participation in men’s fastpitch softball. (n=414) | ||||
| Strongly Agree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
| 43.7%(181) | 45.2%(187) | 5.3%(22) | 5.3%(22) | 0.5%(2) |
| 6. Youth tournaments (i.e. 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and under) national tournaments are important to increasing overall participation rates men’s fastpitch softball. (n=414) | ||||
| Strongly Agree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
| 32.6%(135) | 42.5%(176) | 10.6%(44) | 13.5%(56) | 0.7%(3) |
| 7. Local adult leagues are important to reversing the declining participation rates in men’s fastpitch softball. (n=413) | ||||
| Strongly Agree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
| 52.8%(218) | 43.1%(178) | 1.9%(8) | 1.9%(8) | 0.2%(1) |
| 8. Increasing costs (i.e. equipment, travel, uniforms), associated with participation in men’s fastpitch softball, play a role in decreasing participation rates in men’s fastpitch softball. (n=412) | ||||
| Strongly Agree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
| 55.6%(230) | 32.6%(135) | 5.3%(22) | 5.8%(24) | 0.7%(3) |
| 9. The difficulty in mastering the game of faspitch softball plays a role in declining participation rates in men’s fastpitch softball. (n=415) | ||||
| Strongly Agree | Agree | No Opinion | Disagree | Strongly Disagree |
| 10.1%(42) | 32.3%(134) | 17.3%(72) | 35.7%(148) | 4.6%(19) |
The study reported that 59.4% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that MFS will decline to a point that men will never have the opportunity to participate in the sport of FS again. The study revealed that 66.3% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the decline of pitchers is the primary cause of the decline in player participation. The study found that 53.6% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the governing body of softball (i.e. USA Softball) is responsible for the decline of player participation in MFS. Next, 88.2% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that having boys youth FS programs are important to increasing the overall adult FS participation numbers. The current study also found that 88.9% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that media exposure (e.g., radio, TV, Internet) is important to increasing player participation in MFS. Further, 75.1% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that youth tournaments (i.e., 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and under) are important to increasing overall participation rates in MFS. The study also revealed that 95.9% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that having local adult leagues are important to reversing the declining participation rates in MFS. Based on the study, 88.2% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that increasing costs (i.e, equipment, travel, uniforms) play a role in decreasing participation rates in MFS. Lastly, the study indicated that 42.4% of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that the difficulty in mastering the game of FS plays a role in the declining participation rates in MFS.
Table 4 presents a rank order of the participant’s responses regarding the role of FS governing body in potential developmental activities. The most common response chosen was increasing youth involvement (42.4%). The other responses that were most often chosen were increasing the number of pitchers (37%), improving grassroots programs (29.3%), increasing media exposure (27.1%), increasing adult men’s participation (23.5%), and increasing college involvement (14.3%).
Table 4: (Activities the governing body should focus on development)
In your opinion which of the following activities should the governing body focus on development?
(For each question please rank with 1= most important and 6= least important)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| Increasing Youth (8-18) Boys Participation | 42.4%(175) | 22.3% (92) | 15.5%(64) | 9.0%(37) | 3.9%(16) | 7.0%(29) |
| Increasing Adult Men’s Participation | 23.5% (97) | 30.0%(124) | 17.9%(74) | 10.9%(45) | 10.4%(43) | 7.3%(30) |
| Increasing the Numbers of Pitchers | 37.0%(153) | 25.4% (105) | 17.0%(70) | 9.2%(38) | 7.3% (30) | 4.1%(17) |
| Increasing College Involvement | 14.3% (59) | 17.2% (71) | 17.2%(71) | 17.2% (71) | 15.7%(66) | 18.2%(76) |
| Improving Grassroots Programs (i.e., Recreation, YMCA, Schools, Church) |
29.3%(121) | 22.3%(92) | 17.0%(70) | 13.3%(55) | 11.1%(46) | 7.0%(29) |
| Increasing Media Exposure (i.e TV, Radio, Internet) |
27.1%(112) | 20.5% (85) | 14.7%(61) | 11.8%(49) | 11.1%(45) | 14.7%(61) |
Based on the survey results, the participants believe that the availability of local leagues to adults is extremely important to increasing participation trends in MFS 95.9 % of the respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with this question. The current participants also believe that media exposure (88.9%), boy’s youth FS programs (88.2%), and increasing costs (88.2%) are important factors related to participation trends in MFS. Interestingly, 40.5% of the respondents had no opinion, disagreed or strongly disagreed that MFS participation will decline to a point that men will never have the opportunity to participate in FS again. These responses do indicate how a large percent of the MFS stakeholders do not believe the decreasing participation rates are serious or large enough to eliminate MFS as a competitive recreational sport opportunity.
DISCUSSION
Participation trends are critical to any sport organization as it can be a predictor of revenue and/or growth. A wide diversity of participants in MFS participated in this study for no compensation, which demonstrates that current participatory stakeholders have at least some interest in this topic. The survey clearly indicates that the current male participants believe that increasing adult league participation, media exposure, and youth participation may play important roles in increasing participation rates. This suggested course of action mirrors the research that the SFIA is reporting to their members. In a SFIA webinar, on the 2010 sports participation report, SFIA reported the importance of having “Pathway Funnels” into the “Team Sports Pipeline” (14). Pathway Funnels are player participation options for youth to get them exposed to team sport activities. These funnels can be created in school physical education programs, by individual parental involvement, recreation programs, and casual play. Once into the Team Sport Pipeline, it is up to those organizing and supervising those teams to retain these participants until adulthood.
In 2006, Hatten and his colleagues (6) investigated the differences between the Amateur Softball Association and Australian Softball Federation in regards to declining participation rates in MFS. Hatten et al. (6) reported that the ASA should implement the strategic plan developed in 2002 focusing on reinvigorating their boy’s FS program. Hatten, et al.(6) also suggested that the ASA play a more active role in grass roots programs throughout the United States that have an interest in boys’ FS.
The current study reinforces some of the conclusions resulting from past research about this topic (5, 6, and 8). The current study also demonstrates, for the first time, what the participatory stakeholders view as the problems and the potential solutions to the issue of declining participation rates in MFS. This has never been reported before in the literature. The current study reinforces the importance of improving marketing and media exposure of MFS, creating a process to develop males who can pitch, providing for more league play and redeveloping the MFS youth base.
CONCLUSIONS
This study was the first attempt to go directly to the stake holders for their perspectives on solutions and recommendations to reverse the declining participation rates in a once highly participatory sport for males. The current study participants felt strongly that the major reasons for the decline in participation included the importance of local adult leagues (95.9%), lack of media exposure (88.9%), loss of boy’s youth FS programs (88.6%) and the increasing costs (88.2%) associated with MFS. When asked how the governing body of softball might address these reasons for the observed decline in participation respondents deemed increasing youth involvement (42.4%) as the number one potential solution. In order, the other areas that participants felt were important were developing new pitchers (36.9%), improving grassroots programs (29.6%), and increasing media exposure (27.1%). Declining participation rates in MFS has been an ongoing issue for many years and many rationales for the decline have been offered by both experts and novices. By going directly to the real stakeholders, in MFP, it is hoped that outcomes of the current study include empirical confirmation for some oft voiced reasons for the decline in participation as well as providing some real solutions for reversing the trend. Limitations
The study recommends that the current and former participants be further examined with a more in depth interview to clearly get a description of their views and solutions to this issue. This was a limitation in that the participants merely ranked areas that they felt were most or least import in regards to the causes of declining participation rates in MFS. This is a good start, as this is the first formal study to address this topic with the current and former participants of the sport. It would be interesting to examine what the stakeholders would have to say in a face-to-face interview or responding to this issue in a more open-ended question approach.
APPLICATIONS IN SPORT
All sport managers are concerned about the negative effect that declining participation numbers can have on the financial viability of their organizations as well as their ability to identify elite athletes or to develop their sport (16). This study has direct applications to those who are most directly affected by declining participation rates in rates in MFS, (i.e. USA Men’s and Boy’s National Program, national and international governing bodies, softball complexes, softball organizations that sponsor league and tournament play, and those that are directly participating in the game of MFS). This study was the first attempt to formally document the views of the individuals that actually participate or who have participated in the game of MFS. The opinions and views of the current and past participants can provide important insight. For the game of MFS to reverse this declining trend, it may be time for the national governing body and other sport organization to actively collaborate with these individuals to develop a comprehensive strategic plan to increase participation rate in MFS.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to recognize Michael Judd, Ph.D. (Former Chair of the Graduate Program: Sport Science and Sport Management at Cardinal Stritch University. Dr. Judd was one of the driving forces to bring this topic to light and to publish research surrounding it.)
The authors would like to recognize the Sport and Fitness
Industry of America (SFIA) for providing the participation reports used in this
article.
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