The annual Congressional Women's Softball Game delivered its most explosive offensive display yet, with the press corps' Bad News Babes outslugging Team Congress 22-16 on Wednesday night at Audi Field. The 18th edition of the bipartisan tradition saw lawmakers and journalists trade blows in a high-scoring affair that raised $882,596 for the Young Survival Coalition, a nonprofit supporting young adults battling breast cancer.
Team Congress was captained by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) and Reps. Julia Fedorchak (R-N.D.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), while the press team was led by Emily Goodin of the New York Post and Katie Lobosco of Tax Notes. The contest, established in 2009 after Wasserman Schultz revealed her own breast cancer diagnosis, has now generated more than $5.8 million for the charity over its history.
Before the first pitch, Rep. Emily Randall (D-Wash.) framed the game as a chance to foster bipartisanship and inject some levity into the often-grim work of governing. "It's about raising money for cancer, building some collegiality and making sure that folks feel that there's some joy in this hard work," she said.
The Bad News Babes jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the second inning, but Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R-Northern Mariana Islands) sparked a Team Congress rally, helping tie the game at 7-7 by the fourth inning alongside Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.). The scoreboard kept climbing in the fifth when a series of walks issued by pitcher Rep. Kathy Castor (R-Fla.) allowed the press corps to surge ahead 14-7, and they extended the margin to 20-10 by the sixth. Davids launched a home run in the final frame, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Bad News Babes, who avenged last year's loss and set a new record for combined scoring in the event's history.
The friendly rivalry unfolded against a backdrop of real-world tension over press freedom. Hours after the game, a federal judge ordered the White House to restore press pool access to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, which had been barred by the administration. The dispute was on the minds of many participants, including Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), who called the White House's action "disgusting" and urged bipartisan support for a free press. "I support their First Amendment right, but I definitely support kicking their ass on the softball field," Craig added, capturing the night's blend of competition and principle.
Randall noted that the game's practices have fostered cross-aisle relationships, including co-sponsoring amendments with Fedorchak that emerged from conversations on the diamond. She also joked about fulfilling "stereotypes to live up to, queer women in sports," as the first LGBTQ Latina in Congress, and said she hadn't played softball since junior high but was enjoying the team experience.
Frank Thorp, a coach for the Bad News Babes and an NBC News producer, said the game has become one of the most meaningful parts of his time covering Capitol Hill. "I love being a part of it, it's for a good cause, but it's also a situation where I've gotten to meet so many amazing women, all these amazing journalists that I look up to," he said. "I've got to know them in this really special way and they're all just a bunch of badasses."
The event's success underscores how sports can bridge partisan divides, even as press access battles continue in the courts. Lawmakers and journalists alike used the night to reaffirm their shared commitment to democratic values, even as they competed fiercely on the field.
