Senior Softball by the Numbers

April 1, 2015 – Ross McCulligan

The last time we painted a statistical portrait of senior softball players Bill Clinton was president, the twin towers stood in New York City, double-wall bats were the new technology and we were still in the 20th Century. That 1998 player survey showed remarkable similarities to the survey completed last month. A story on the results of the survey is on Page One of this edition. Here are some comparisons over the years: * The average age of a senior softball player in 1998 was 64. In 2015 it’s 65. Average age for men and women was not broken out in 1998, but in 2015, the average was 67 for men and 58 for women. * The average number of tournaments played per year was almost exactly the same: 7 in 1999 and 7.46 in 2015. * The biggest change by far was Internet use. In 1998 a mere 17 percent of players used the Internet. We didn’t even ask the question in 2015 because more than 98 percent of the players have e-mail addresses. * The average annual disposable income was $35,000 in 1998 and $38,250 in 2015. Some players bristled at being asked their disposable income, thinking that we may be keeping track of what individual players responded. The survey in fact was used for the overall information collected and SSUSA did not keep any records of individual responses. We are only interested in the cumulative totals. Why? Most important, of course is for us to know the players as well as possible so that we continue to meet their needs of those playing the sport. In addition, we use the information to update our marketing materials so that we can attract more sponsors to the sport and promote senior softball throughout the media. Without sponsor support, the cost of playing would skyrocket. Thanks to all of the players who responded to the online survey we sent out in March.