Softball showdown more than a game to Wasserman Schultz, Klobuchar

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) says she doesn’t let being a breast cancer survivor define her. But she is determined to use her platform to urge other young women to pay attention to their breast health.

That’s why, when she made her battle public in 2009, she crossed party lines to launch the Congressional Women’s Softball Game (CWSG) with then-Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.).

“We started the game in order to be able to raise awareness for our very young women … to pay attention to their breast health and know what’s normal for them so they know when something feels different,” Wasserman Schultz told The Hill. “And then, like me, you’ll be much more likely to survive.”

Unlike the congressional baseball game, where Republicans square off against Democrats, lawmakers play on the same softball team and battle the Washington, D.C., press corps.

The game raises money for Young Survival Coalition (YSC), an organization dedicated to helping young women deal with the unique challenges of battling breast cancer.

In their 15th year of play, this year’s game has already raised $571,000 for YSC, surpassing their previous fundraising record of $535,000, according to Keegan Bales, a member of the organizing committee.

According to YSC, more than 1,000 women under age 40 die from breast cancer every year. Yet, there remains no effective screening tool, as women younger than 40 have breast tissue that is too dense for a mammogram to see, meaning almost 80 percent find their breast abnormality themselves.

Wasserman Schultz introduced the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act to launch an education and outreach campaign for younger and high-risk women.

The Senate version was sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), another cancer survivor, and passed as part of the Affordable Care Act in 2010.

While Wasserman Schultz chose to keep her diagnosis private for 2 years, Klobuchar released a public statement in September 2021 about her experience with stage 1A breast cancer after her diagnosis in February of that year.

Before her own journey with the disease, Klobuchar was already involved with the fight against cancer. She has been an announcer of the softball game since 2011, along with co-sponsoring the EARLY Act more than a decade ago.

But Klobuchar’s firsthand encounter with illness changed her outlook on the issue.

“I was able to learn the power of education,” Klobuchar told The Hill of her cancer journey. “The fact that I announced I had it and explained that I delayed my mammograms during the pandemic helped other people to decide to go in and get mammograms.”

This lesson from her diagnosis also shifted Klobuchar’s connection to the game.

“One of the reasons we do this game is not only because it’s fun, and it brings in help for young survivors, but also because it puts attention on breast cancer,” Klobuchar said.

There’s also a healthy spirit of competition. The senator admitted, “I am not an unbiased emcee.” Who does she think will win this year? “Well, I always go with the members,” she said.

Lawmakers broke a five-year losing streak last year, and are looking to start their own run of wins with another victory this year.

“I know we’re going to hold on to the trophy,” Wasserman Schultz said.

However, the “Bad News Babes” told Roll Call that they are “out for revenge.”

With seven rookie lawmakers and a handful of veterans in the press corps, it’s anyone’s game.

The game starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday night, with gates at the Watkins Recreation Center in D.C. opening at 5:30 pm. Tickets are available here.

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