Natasha Watley grew up in Irvine, played softball at UCLA and won a gold medal with the U.S. team 20 years ago, and although she now lives in Los Angeles, she was excited to promote her hometown and the sport to the current Olympic generation.
That was until last month, when Olympic organizers announced that the softball events at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics would be held in Oklahoma City.
“To me, it felt like a slap in the face,” Watley said. “Sending everyone to Oklahoma is the easy way out.”
Watley and 2004 gold medalist Jennie Finch joined Major League Baseball this week as part of the All-Star Game celebrations. Finch, who grew up in La Mirada, said she initially found the decision to move Olympic softball out of Los Angeles “heartbreaking.”
Watley said the decision will deprive softball players of the full Olympic experience.
“I’ve had experiences like that,” she said, “walking into the dining hall and seeing Michael Phelps holding up his actual medal after winning, meeting Kobe Bryant and spending time with him.
“It's the little complexities of everyday life that they're going to miss out on. It's very sad. This decision isn't about the athletes.”
LA28 organizers said softball players should be able to attend either the opening or closing ceremonies in Los Angeles.
They say shrinking major league ballparks or adding seating to softball and minor league stadiums would cost millions of dollars, even if stadiums could be found that could withstand months of renovation, and such spending is risky because the Olympics would leave taxpayers on the hook for the financial losses.
Natasha Watley steps up to bat during a World Cup softball game between the United States and Japan in July 2010.
(Alonzo Adams/Associated Press)
In Oklahoma City, softball games are played in a 13,000-seat, two-story stadium that regularly fills up for Women's College World Series games.
“I'm torn,” Finch said, “but part of me is like, 'Oklahoma City, where else can we get 13,000 fans? Where else can we get a stadium that can hold that many people for softball?'”
“You have to go to the ballpark, but the reality is, our game isn't at its best in a ballpark. The dugout is far away. Our game is intimate, it's fast-paced. The ballpark takes all of that away.”
Finch said he would like to see an Olympic-caliber softball stadium built at UCLA, but because softball is currently an exhibition sport, it may be included in the 2028 Olympics but not the 2032 Olympics.
“I know Oklahoma can fill a stadium,” she said, “but my biggest concern is getting softball back into the Olympics permanently. How can we give them a better chance?”
Two Los Angeles city council members have expressed concern about Olympic sports moving outside of the city, and Watley said he has discussed the issue with his former teammates.
“We're actively discussing it and seeing if there's a solution,” she said.
Watley said he would appreciate the opportunity to meet with LA28 officials.
“I just want to protect the athletes,” she said, “and if there's still something we can do cost-effectively, I'm hopeful we can make a change.”
