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Congresswomen Play Ball For Fun, Fitness, & Charity

Date: 6/24/11

SGMA Member Companies Provided Gear

SILVER SPRING, MD – June 24, 2011 – While the Congressional Baseball Game may  be the most well known athletic tradition on Capitol Hill, there’s another sports event in our nation’s capital which generates interest in Congressional circles – the Congressional Women’s (Slow-Pitch) Softball Game.  And the membership of the SGMA supports it.  Unlike the Congressional Baseball Game which pits Democrats vs. Republicans, the softball game is bipartisan as it features all female members of Congress (regardless of party affiliation) vs. a media team comprised of women that cover news on Capitol Hill.  The news divisions of the media outlets represented in the game include the Associated Press, Washington Post, CNN, CSpan, ABC, Fox, NBC, Roll Call, Politico, and The Hill.

On Thursday, June 23, the third annual Congressional Women’s Softball Game was played at the Watkins Recreation Center in Washington, DC – not far from Capitol Hill.  The charity that benefited from this game is the Young Survivors Coalition, which supports young breast cancer survivors.  Rep. Joanne Emerson (R-MO) and Rep. Stephanie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) were the lead Members of Congress in the game.

This is the third such game in the series.  The previous two had been won by the media.    This year, though, the Congresswomen won, 5-4.  The media team now leads the overall series, 2-1.

Four member companies of SGMA supported this game with in-kind softball product donations for the Congresswomen.  Mizuno provided the jerseys; Diamond Sports donated equipment bags; the catching gear was supplied by Reebok; and Wilson (DeMarini) supplied fielding gloves, batting gloves, bats and helmets.

“It’s important for SGMA and its member companies in the softball business to be a part of events like this,” said Bill Sells, SGMA’s vice president of government relations.  “While members of Congress are incredibly busy with their jobs on a daily basis, they know it’s important to get outside of the office, exercise, and play ball.”
 
The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), the #1 source for sport and fitness research, is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports products industry.  SGMA helps lead the sports and fitness industries by fostering participation through research, thought leadership, product promotion, and public policy.  More information about SGMA membership and SGMA's National Health Through Fitness Day can be found at www.SGMA.com.