...like I did. The Women's World Baseball Cup was held last month in Venezuela. The tournament gained attention (again not mine--I missed this whole thing; though I did read that there was very little media coverage; regular Sports Center watchers might be able to report whether the WWBC got any air time in the US) because of a shooting that occurred in the first few days of the tournament, held every other year. A South Koren player was hit by a stray bullet* in the leg. She was treated and is fine, though the team pulled out of the tournament.
Japan seemed to dominate most of its competition throughout the tourney and came away with the gold. They beat Australia in the gold medal game. The US team won the bronze medal game against home team Venezuela. Two Americans were named tournament all-stars.
*What exactly makes a bullet stray anyway? It's an odd phrasing, no? As if bullets just are randomly flying around like trash that people toss out their car windows. Completely erases the fact that there was a shooter.
3 comments:
I was aware of it, including the shooting of the South Korean player which was the only aspect of the tournament that got it some media attention in most cases. However, I assumed that it did not get into the American media much because (a) the Japenese won it, as they did last time, and also (b) as there is never much in the way of acknowledgment of the men's World Cup either, which the US men however have managed to win, with a team of minor leaguers, surely a noteworthy achievement. How many US baseball fans know or even care about that? Just part of the enduring mystery that is American sport for those of us who are nevertheless interested outsiders. Katharine Sinderson
I don't generally follow baseball-men's, women's, professional, amateur, Little League so I don't feel too bad about missing the World Cup. Americans just don't seem to care about any version of baseball other than professional and Little League. I am sure there is a paper/study in that somewhere--but not for me!
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