This Month's News
July2015

Coverage of Softball at Pan Am Games (Or Lack Of It)

July 26, 2015

Toronto, ON

 

Well the cat is out of the bag. Check it out on social media, people are now talking about it.

@AlsFastball was frozen out a long time ago and we decided to sit on it but now that it turns out that all other options to deliver live results to the fans has been also frozen out, maybe its time to start a discussion.

 

We just finished what was obviously the most successful coverage ever of a Men's International Softball Championship in Saskatoon, but now we find out that the Pan Ams right here in Toronto have next to nothing planned for the fans who cannot get to the park.


So far, we have heard:

No TV coverage of softball games - we have been told by people in the know that several packages were suggested but all were declined.

No Streaming coverage! - packages were offered but all were declined.

Not even Point Streak will be ofered to the fans to follow the games.

@AlsFastball will not be at the games. We volunteered early but were declined.

     - We will be posting game reports from softball bodies such as Softball Canada and @ASAUSASoftball and other international softball bodies who send us their reports. Softball Canada and Team USA sent us great game reports from Saskatoon and we will be happy to re publish them here on http://www.alsfastball.com/

   - We were very impressed with the timely, accurate and detailed press reports prepared on the spot in Saskatoon by Softball Canada and we have offered to focus on them during the Pan Ams in Toronto in the absence of any other options that we know of.

 

Thanks to @blairjs17 for No television coverage or streaming for hockey competitions at Pan American Games

And some notes:

For those that won't read the article by the Field Hockey Association, here's the key paragraphs:

 

Everything else is dictated by the “Franchise Holder” (IOC for the Olympics, PASO for the Pan American Games) and by the Organizing Committee (TO2015 for the Games in Toronto). Everything else, including the broadcast rights…

PASO (Pan American Sport Organization) contracted the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) to be the “Host Broadcaster”, meaning they are in charge of producing the raw TV feed from the various venues. These feeds are in turn sold to broadcasting companies having paid the broadcast rights.

Most reasonable people understand that, if there is a TV feed produced, it is up to the national broadcasters to pick it up and that it is fair to prevent other type of broadcast (or streaming) to protect the investment of those having paid for the rights.

Regrettably, the agreement between PASO and CBC did not include all sports and no TV feed will be produced for the hockey [or softball] competitions.

Many continental sport organizations, including PAHF, immediately assumed that they could fill this void, produce their own feed and stream it on their web site. An expensive endeavour but certainly worth it to satisfy the many “fans back home”.

Not so simple, unfortunately, since all the broadcast rights have been sold to a third party, giving them the latitude to resell them to broadcasters across the Americas. This company has no real interest in the Games themselves, in the competitions or in the sports fans; they are a financial institution needing a return on their investment and they categorically refused to let the continental sport organizations stream the competitions not covered by TV, unless they purchase the broadcast rights for every single country where the stream would be accessible.

In other terms, they prefer to protect their rights to nothing (since there is no feed produced) rather than cooperate with the continental sport organizations in the interest of sport and sports fans..

 Blair

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Streaming is the way to go, proven in Saskatoon at #ISFMens2015 where literally every game was live streamed AND almost all were covered by professional play by play and colour commentators who know the game and know the players.  @SportsCanadaTV teamed provided their professional streaming service to provide first class video of the games and @BPBroadcastibg provided first class audio coverage with the team of @FastpitchWest @blairjs17 @playbyplay21 @LanceWinnCBC and @FastballJoeTodd

The Pan Am committee were offered a similar package including options that involved CBC high quality feeds but they declined any and all offers.

Fed up with the lack of coverage from the men's tournament at the Pan Ams? Watch any great game you choose that was played in Saskatton at #ISFMens2015 http://sportscanada.tv/worldsoftball/
If you had a paid subscription during the tournament you can watch any game, over and over, and over.

 

Hopefully the fans who can get to the park will Tweet updates from any games they get to watch.

 

 

 10 July 2015

Since first starting on this article this morning, three other well known softball people have informed me that they too were turned down as volunteers by the organzing committee who did a Call for Volunteers some time ago. All three of these people would have been able to offer an in depth knowledge of the game. They were not given any clear explanation as to why they were rejected as volunteers.

 

In comparison with the #ISFMens2015 in Saskatoon a few short days ago, Saskatoon had an outstanding media team and coverage. Yes, network TV was missing and that MUST be worked on but Saskatoon made the best of what they had: Outstanding Streaming and Broadcasting; local media and visiting media had two dedicated areas to work in (I was lucky enough to be in the one under the grandstand at BVI Stadium); dedicated social media activity including @ISFMens2015 and @AlsFastball - Softball Canada and WBSC (ISF) officials were on hand every day and were very supportive. 

As I was leaving the area for the last time, senior ISF officials thanked me again and asked if I would be in Ajax for the Pan Ams. I told them that I would not be as I had volunteered and was rejected. I think they were as surprised about this as I was when I was told I was not needed.

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Team Canada schedules etc - from Softball Canada 11 July 2015

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July 16

Each day we are asked by a number of people:

"Where can I watch Canada play on TV, what channel?"

What is the link for live streaming of games"?

"Are you on site Tweeting?"

 

The answer to all those questions is "NO, Sorry!"

  The reaction to this is amazement that in this day and age there is not better coverage for this great event! Softball fans deserve far better than this.

There has been the odd game streamed on UStream but nothing announced in advance; low quality video, only one camera and no English broadcasters. The streaming is hit and miss. Its a far cry from the quality streaming and broadcasting we had in Saskatoon for #ISFMens2015 just two weeks ago.

As for Twitter, a couple of very loyal and dedicated fans are tweeting from the ball park and we have been doing our best to RT those Tweets via https://twitter.com/AlsFastball  and for sure
https://twitter.com/blairjs17 is as well.

On a very positive note @SoftballCanada @ASAUSASoftball and @SoftbolARG are all producing detailed reports after each of their games and we are posting them on alsfastball.com and on Twitter.

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18 July 2015

Well here we are on Gold Medal Game Day and we are no closer today to having TV Coverage or Live Streaming (the real kind) or even quality broadcasting. #CryingShame and #Fail by the so called organizers who let down the tons of fastball fans in the Americas.

If anyone in the park in Ajax today is going to Tweet updates, please let us know and we will do our best to RT and give the info wide distribution.  AD

  Noon Bronze Medal Game - @SoftbolARG link for streaming.

 

 3pm Gold Medal Game Canada vs Venezuela

At 2:30pm the brain trust at the CBC announced they would cover the Gold Medal Game in Softball on their streaming service and said to stand by for the link. Then they said oops, they really meant Baseball.
Softball fans have been getting the short end of the stick all week from @CBCSports and everyone else, the coverage is an absolute disgrace. AD

 

To ALL the Softball teams visiting our beautiful GTA, Good Luck and may the Best Teams Win!

  I will be personally pulling for my red team (s) even if it takes a week to get the results.

 


Congratulations to Team Canada - Double Gold on home soil in the same month!

 

 20 July 2015

Well the men have done it and we wish the women equal success in the Quest for Gold for Canada.

From our end, we will be sharing updates from Softball Canada and ASA/USA Softball but we will be taking a more relaxed role on Twitter.

Hopefully there will be lots of loyal fans in the stands working Twitter to get updates out.

We did offer to go to Ajax and cover both men's and women's softball and we were declined so I guess the organizers had something else in mind.  As we saw with the men, it was a big fat ZERO, a total #Fail. The worst coverage of a major men's softball event in my memory banks.

The tiny bit of coverage by @CBCSports of the men's team AFTER they won gold was nice, but Too Little Too Late.

We will do what we can but it will not be game by game updates on Twitter, we have too many things to tend to on the home front this week.

We were looking forward to doing updates from the ballpark for both men and women but obviously the powers to be had a better idea. So far that has been kept a state secret.  We were invited two years ago to cover the junior women's ISF Worlds JWWC in Brampton and very much enjoyed it. @2013_JWWC

This would have been a great opportunity to spread the word about the women's game.

Good luck to all the women's softbal teams visiting Toronto for the Pan Am Games.

AD

 

 

 

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