Australia can compete in breakdancing, but not Florida Gators in softball at Olympics

The Paris Olympics have officially come and gone, and as we have chronicled here at Hail Florida Hail, the Florida Gators have had a successful run over the past two weeks. The Gators cleaned up in swimming, and track and field, and had representation in basketball, golf, soccer, and tennis.

However, one sport that has been in and out of the Olympics is one that would also feature Florida Gators and should have multiple members featured when it is brought back for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Florida Softball: Team USA

Softball has had a complicated existence in the Olympics. The sport had its formal debut in the Olympics in 1996 in Atlanta and was included up until the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The USA won the first three gold medals in the sport but was upset by Japan in 2008.

The sport was dropped from the Olympics after 2008, but it made a return for the Tokyo Olympics. It was then dropped again from Paris, but local organizers for Los Angeles are bringing it back for 2028.

One thing that seems to hurt the sport is that it gets lumped in with baseball, which doesn't send its best players to the Olympics. But in a world where a woman from Australia can do the kangaroo hop in breakdancing and call herself an Olympian, it feels like nonsense that softball hasn't been able to have a permanent home at the games.

Trampoline is in the Olympics, but not softball.

Three on three basketball is in the Olympics, but not softball.

In the United States, college softball has grown tremendously, and softball has become one of the more popular sports on campus at Florida. However, the yo-yo nature of its inclusion at the highest level has the potential to have adverse effects as the sport continues to try and grow.

Gators head coach Tim Walton, who is an assistant coach for the US Women's team, took to X to highlight the importance of having softball in the Olympics. He also took notice that Gator alum Grant Holloway was repping USA Softball at his press conference after winning gold.

Gator great Amanda Lorenz is currently on Team USA's roster. In four years, it wouldn't be shocking to see Jocelyn Erickson, Skylar Wallace, Korbe Otis, or Keagan Rothrock make a bid to be on the squad. Gator alums Jordan Roberts, Kelsey Stewart-Hunter, and Aleshia Ocasio are also on the professional circuit right now for the 2024 Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball Championship Season.

And hopefully with Australia hosting the 2032 Olympics, the sport can once again regain footing as Australia tends to be one of the more competitive teams in the sport.