It was in October last year that a rather interesting announcement was made.
National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), in conjunction with Softball Canada, and a couple of other sponsors, announced the addition of the Canadian Wild of Southern Illinois to the league.
The Wild became the sixth affiliate NPF team set to compete in the 2019 season, and they are not the first team with an international flavour as the league boasts both the Aussie Spirit, and Beijing Shougang Eagles.
The release at the time noted; Softball Canada recently finished third at the 2018 Women’s Softball World Championship in August, and is currently ranked third in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). They will play a 50-game schedule in National Pro Fastpitch overall, facing off with some of the best players in the world, including current and former Olympians.
National Pro Fastpitch will be entering their 16th season in 2019. Teams currently hail from three continents, with players representing the national teams of six different countries.
And now The Wild are about to embark on their inaugural season starting play May 28, against Beijing at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach.
Games are going to be shown via NPF TV.
Since I love fastball, the game I played in my youth, I will be tuning in to see how entertaining the games are, recognizing at the top level this should be it, and the games should be very good.
It is interesting that the other night when sleep was eluding me, I got to thinking about the diversity of top level sports now available to watch. While mainstream sports networks such as TSN and SportsNet are stuck focused on a core rotation of sports, other leagues are popping up and finding an audience in-part by offering their games via online platforms.
It came to me that same night that the situation presently is much like the recent emergence of craft beers. There is still the mass produced name brands rolling out by the semi load, but for those wanting unique flavours, craft beers are popping up and being successful too.
Professional women’s fastball, pro ultimate, the Canadian Elite Basketball League, the National Lacrosse League, Major Arena Soccer League and others, are essentially the craft beers of sports. You can’t find them by just turning on your cable TV and flipping to a sports channel, but with a little effort they are there to be watched, and enjoyed.
Each of the five leagues listed above are available via the Internet, most are free access. I’ll grant the quality might not be up to big network standards, but it’s still fine viewing – check out the CEBL Saskatchewan Rattlers and you will be pleasantly surprised.
Like a favourite craft brew, these leagues and the team you follow soon become a much enjoyed option from the sometimes repetitive nature of big sports broadcasts on the big networks.
