The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Oklahoma City missing WCWS
OKLAHOMA CITY » Last spring, Brandon Baker seized a rare chance to break out his rain playlist in front of nearly 10,000 people.
Storms near USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium had knocked out the right field lights during the May 31 evening session of the Women’s College World Series that set an all-time attendance record for the annual event.
Baker, who was running the audio board that night, plugged the system into a battery backup. As fans turned on their cell phone flashlights during the delay, Baker played “Lights Shine Bright” by TobyMac featuring Hollyn. And when the lights came back on, Baker’s fitting song choice was “The Power,” a 1990 hit by Snap!
Baker won’t get to energize the crowd this year. The pandemic has virtually shut down sports, including NCAA championships like the WCWS and the College World Series.
Economies have been hard hit and The Associated Press is examining the ripple effects of losing a showcase event in smaller cities and communities like Oklahoma City, which boasts a pro team in the NBA’s Thunder.
Volunteers and vendors aren’t needed. Family traditions will be paused. The annual boost the economy receives in late May and early June won’t come.
The timing was especially unfortunate. Everything was in place for a grand softball celebration. Oklahoma City was set to host for the 30th time. A stadium expansion added 4,000 permanent seats to bring capacity at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium to about 13,000, and city officials said all the new seats were sold out.
JJ Kuhn, operating partner of Yucatan Taco Stand in the Bricktown section of downtown Oklahoma City, said sporting events such as the WCWS and the NBA playoffs have been a way the city shows itself to the world.
“Sports is one of those ways that we have been able to progress,” Kuhn said. “We like to think of ourselves as a big-league city now, and that’s the mechanism that we’ve used to do that. Obviously, college sports in Oklahoma — we love that. It’s our bread and butter. Having those national events where we can present ourselves — to have those missing, it’s going to hurt.”
With softball set to return to the Olympics for the first time since 2008, Oklahoma City was primed to take advantage of the extra attention on the sport.
Now the Tokyo Olympics are pushed back a year, to 2021, and Cress is dealing with “a moving target.”
“We were ready to open with all the bells and whistles,” said Craig Cress, executive director of USA Softball. “The large things are definitely there. The seats are there. We were on schedule to be full blown and have a great series.”
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said in the end, it’s about public safety.
“We greatly prize this event for its economic impact and we love the brand, and we’re very proud to be the home of the women’s softball College World Series,” Holt said. “But there’s no question this was ultimately the right thing to do.”
The Women’s College World Series has been hosted in Oklahoma City every year except one since 1990. Gina Janzen, who has attended over the years with her daughter, Kylie, won’t get that chance this year. Kylie signed to play Division II softball for Oklahoma Christian in February, in part because the players she watched while growing up motivated her.
“It’s such a huge loss,” Gina Janzen said. “You mourn it a little, but you also understand the gravity of what’s going on in the world and why you can’t have these things.”