18 Professional Softball Players Quit Team After Misrepresented By GM

Opening Day for National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), went as unexpected as could be. Members of the Scrap Yard Dawgs team walked off and vowed to never play for the organization ever again.  

The General Manager of the team, Connie May tweeted inappropriately which suggested opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement. 

The tweet, which players did not find out about until after the game, included a picture of the girls standing for the National Anthem and tagged President Donald Trump with the caption “Everyone respecting the FLAG”. 

Donald Trump has openly voiced his opinions against athletes peacefully protesting racial injustice and police brutality. 

The night was intended to be a heroic return for not just Softball, but for the sports world. Since the pandemic cancelled the 2020 college World Series and the return of Softball to the Olympics for the first time since 2008, having NPF back was a sign of hope for fans. 

Instead, many players and coaches found themselves in a whirl of anger considering this country is fighting racial injustice and there are many Black softball players in the league. Players of all NPF teams took to social media to voice their opinions and note that they do not stand behind May’s tweet. 

Monica Abbott, one of the most influential players in the game right now stated on Twitter: 

“I kneel. I kneel with all of my friends, teammates and any person of color. The tweet sent out by Connie May in no way reflects the athletes in this organization…”

Catcher Aubree Munro also tweeted “It’s a slap in the face to the strong black women in our game and to the progress we have made in our sport. We will be better.” 

Connie May has not yet commented on the incident and the NPF nor the Scrap Yard organization has acknowledged the situation. 

Players immediately gave the league an ultimatum, to stop the season all together or to never play under the name Scrap Yard again. Later after almost every player made a statement, the movement ‘This is Us” began. This is Us is now the name of the new independent team made up of all 18 Scrap Yard players. 

As stated on their website, “This Is Us Softball is a group formed in June 2020 of 18 professional fastpitch softball athletes from all across the United States. When these athletes were unfairly spoken for in a way that was insensitive to the current climate in America, they walked away from their former professional team, and moved forward as an independent unit.”

Since This is Us is independent and not yet covered by the NPF, the team is taking donations to cover playing and future travel expenses. 

Before the entire NPF season got cancelled due to a COVID-19 exposure, This is Us was able to play their first series against the Florida Pride. The women are continuing to spread their positive messages and bring awareness to racism on social media. They stated on Twitter, "Our season may be over, but our mission is not. This is not the end. We are just getting started."