Nebraska volleyball filled Memorial Stadium. Kinnick Stadium was packed for Iowa women’s basketball.
With the success of Oklahoma softball and the growth of the sport, many have wondered about putting Oklahoma softball inside Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium. Give it the same treatment as Nebraska volleyball and Iowa women’s basketball.
Logistics and dimensions of the playing surface may not allow for the Sooners to host the preeminent softball program inside the football stadium. However, Alex Storako, a pitcher on the 2023 national championship team, had a fantastic suggestion.
Put it in the Cotton Bowl for OU-Texas in the spring.
Hear me out…OU/TX weekend ✨softball edition✨ at the Cotton Bowl?! 🤷🏼♀️ https://t.co/dcza2LUM2R
— Alex Storako (@alexstorako) October 16, 2023
The Cotton Bowl plays host to the greatest football rivalry in the sport every October, so why not host the best rivalry in softball each spring?
The Cotton Bowl is no stranger to hosting events outside of football. It held six matches in the 1994 World Cup and the NHL’s 2020 Winter Classic between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild.
Sure, a softball field would require a unique approach to fitting it within the field dimensions of the Cotton Bowl. But the Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park provides a template for fitting a field within some strange confines.
In 2023, the Red River Rivals set a record for the highest attendance in a regular-season game when they played the first of their three-game series at USA Softball Stadium in Oklahoma City.
Meeting halfway in the heart of Dallas would provide an incredible atmosphere for two of college softball’s best programs.
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