A few years ago, softball was rarely televised. Flash forward to the present, and the Women’s College World Series is now one of the most watched sporting events of the year nationwide. But how did it happen that fast?
With origins dating back to the late 19th century, the sport of softball had always seemingly taken a back seat to its brother sport, baseball. However, as time passed, more people began to realize its true nature—an athletic, quick, and stealth-fast game that mixes power and wit to create dynamic competition.
Thanks to the rise of traveling teams nationwide as opposed to standardized city-wide leagues where athletes only compete locally, the sport has been able to spread out all over the United States at a rapid pace. This created a need for a program that could not only lend a hand organizationally but also give budding elite athletes the chance of a lifetime.
Allison Honkofsky with Athletx grew up playing the sport at a young age. “I was also thankful that my mom was an athlete and understood the sacrifices needed to become the best player I could be. Right out of high school, I started playing collegiate softball before moving on to coaching at the Division 1 level. I coached there for 10 years before moving into the company I am with now.”
According to its official website, Athletx began as a “powerhouse baseball brand” in 2012 under the guidance of founders John Ruby and Jim Haddaway in Louisville, Ky. There, the two began to explore the possibility of creating a week-long baseball experience for youth named the Youth Baseball Nationals. There, players would get the chance to experience large caliber tournaments held in top facilities in the nation. In 2013, their dream became a reality, and the first Youth Baseball Nationals took place. Fast forward to 2015, and the first Youth Softball Nationals took place.
In 2016, Aaron Flaker joined the duo, and Athletx as a parent company was officially formed. The following year, Baseball Youth—also with Softball Youth—joined the Athletx family. In 2018, sporting brand Gameday USA joins the group followed by a merger of Pastime Tournaments and Mid America Baseball. This merger was able to help the group now serve youth from first grade to college-aged athletes. In 2020, the group was able to launch two new events, the Youth World Series for Division 2 and Division 3 teams in addition to a weekend tournament series called VERSUS. New tournaments were created and TravelBall Select dealing with Division 1 teams joined the group. In 2021, NET Elite came aboard.
Together, all the umbrella groups led by Athletx, a play on the word “athletics,” reach over 605,000 families worldwide, hold more than 600 events in the U.S., feature over 15,000 teams, 194,000 players, 38,000 coaches, and drew 371,000 spectators.
Honkofsky, who serves as the director of sales and recruiting, says, “I wanted a change of pace, but I still wanted to be involved in the sport in some way. I have two children, so the youth aspect of things was a great fit for me.”
Honkofsky, who also helps in the Softball Youth umbrella group, says the “All American Games are a crucial aspect of getting the youth involved.”
At the All-American Games, Instead of players competing for a spot, they are nominated to play in the series by their coaches and peers. The players that are nominated then get the honor of playing with other athletes who are not from their area/region, and they could see at
a traveling tournament.
“It really adds a different aspect to the game,” says Honkofsky. “We want to pair up players with people from across the nation, not region, so they can really see what it is like to play with a team compiled of other top-level athletes all over. The players are then coached by high-profile people in the softball world. We have had former Division 1 coaches, National Team members, and Division 1 athletes. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for several of the girls and we make it the best it can be for them. We want to empower these young athletes in a way that makes them want to continue.”
Honkofsky wishes she could have had something like the All-American Games growing up.
“To go out and play with high-caliber athletes coached by people who were once in my position would have been awesome. These games open the door for more opportunities and open up the next step in a playing career if that is what the athlete wants.”
Regarding empowering athletes, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) signed a rule into immediate effect last year which allows athletes to sign endorsement deals with companies who are using them for a branding campaign, likeness, or profiting off their name. This new policy is called the NCAA Name, Image, and Likeness policy (NIL).
Since the Women’s College World Series has repeatedly been a top college program on television, it comes as no surprise that several athletes have signed such deals including the Oklahoma Sooners softball team, the reigning champions who defeated Texas in a 7-2 victory.
According to several news reports this past spring, a company called 1Oklahoma, headed by Hall of Fame football coach Barry Switzer, has formed a collective that has signed the Oklahoma student-athletes to the most NIL deals in the country, funded by volunteer and donor offerings.
Ohio State softball has also seen deals from the new policy. Their version of the 1Oklahoma collective, the Columbus Dugout Club, will see 80 percent of proceeds going to the players, with 10 percent going to a charity organization of their choosing—this year it is the Boys and Girls Club.
Even though several players are now able to capitalize on their likeness thanks to the dedication they show to their sport, Honkofsky says the way of the future is to embrace professional leagues.
“The recent NIL deal is a huge deal not only for softball but for all sports. However, we do not need to stop there. We need—as an organization—to grow professional softball. These players need to be able to make a living playing. It is huge with the Women’s College World Series and softball being back in the Olympics last year that we capitalize on the sport’s popularity. If we want to keep our sport on the right track, enlarging the great leagues is a must.”
With an average viewership of 1.7 million and peaking at 2.1 million, the Women’s College World Series proved it belongs in the regular ESPN lineup—not to mention the popularity of softball at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, if the sport wants to keep growing, the industry must show youth players it could be a career—much like Major League Baseball is for its brother sport.
