Top softball teams are competing in preseason tournaments, yet many games aren’t being broadcast or streamed. Here’s what’s behind the limited access.
Friday was full of big matchups in college softball, but fans couldn't watch unless they attended the games in person. No. 10 UCLA beat No. 12 Florida in a 15-12 slugfest, Omaha downed Charlotte 7-2, and Loyola Marymount dropped a 7-5 heartbreaker to the Gators.
When it comes to the Judi Garman Classic on the campus of Cal State Fullerton in Fullerton, Calif., there simply isn't enough manpower to have every game available on ESPN+.According to a university spokesperson, broadcasts at Fullerton are produced through a structured academic internship program in which students receive course credit and have limited hours to complete their course requirements. "This model is intentional — it provides meaningful, hands-on Division I production experience while maintaining high standards for our live events," the spokesperson told Softball On SI via email on Thursday. "During high-volume periods in the spring, we are managing multiple concurrent home competitions, including women’s basketball, women’s water polo, baseball, women’s tennis, men’s basketball, and softball. "Because our production teams are student-based, streaming every game of a multi-day tournament would significantly impact our ability to cover the full slate of home events across all sports for the spring semester. "As a result, decisions about tournament coverage are driven primarily by staffing capacity, student hours, and overlapping event schedules rather than preference. Our priority is ensuring consistent, quality coverage across all home competitions while sustaining the integrity of our experiential learning model. " Stanford invited elite programs, but couldn’t secure a permit , and now, the athletic department isn't streaming Arizona vs. Texas.There isn't even an option for teams to stream their own games because ESPN owns the right to every game onsite and has the first right of refusal.Softball On SI reached out to the university for comment on why only two games have been available to stream and was told multiple events were going on at the same time on campus. "Our broadcast production team is proud to produce more than 100 events annually for our comprehensive athletic program," a university spokesperson told Softball On SI in an email on Friday. "We traditionally haven’t broadcast volleyball or softball tournaments that include multiple games and contests not featuring Florida on weekends when we have multiple other events." Fortunately, preseason tournaments are coming to an end, and conference play has already started for some. Softball fans won't want to get rid of tournaments if given the option, so they will just have to settle for a limited viewing option for the foreseeable future. Unless teams figure out a way to stream their own games, even if it is just with a single camera behind home plate.Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.
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