OKLAHOMA CITY — The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America/USA Softball, the National Governing Body for the sport of softball in the United States, and its athletes are featured in the James L. Brooks movie “How Do You Know”, which opens nationwide Friday. To celebrate the sport’s prominence in the film, nine USA Softball Olympic medalists walked the red carpet Monday at the “How Do You Know” Los Angeles Premiere at Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, Calif.
In the movie, written and directed by Oscar winner Brooks, Academy Award winning actress Reese Witherspoon plays Lisa Jorgenson, a fictional USA Softball athlete who is cut from the 2011 Women’s National Team, despite a decorated career with the program. Before being cut, Witherspoon’s character can be seen sliding into home plate during a USA Softball game and is later captured during USA Softball practice. Throughout the romantic comedy, which is rated PG-13, Jorgenson struggles to adapt to a life without softball, the sport that has defined her. A small portion of a fictional game between the USA and Australia is also captured with Jorgenson looking on from the stands.
The ASA/USA Softball logos are seen throughout the film including in Jorgenson’s apartment and a fictional training facility. Authentic ASA/USA Softball apparel and memorabilia, including jerseys, posters and T-shirts that are available for sale through SoftballOutlet.com, were captured throughout “How Do You Know” and also used throughout Witherspoon’s training for the movie’s softball scenes.
Olympic Champions and Silver Medalists Crystl Bustos, Amanda Freed, Lovie Jung and 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist Andrea Duran, who attended the premiere, all made cameo appearances in the movie in addition to assisting with Witherspoon’s four month crash course on softball. Also invited to the “How Do You Know” premiere for their role in Witherspoon’s training were three-time Olympic Champion and Olympic Silver Medalist Laura Berg as well as Olympic Champions and Silver Medalists Jennie Finch, Tairia Flowers, Jessica Mendoza and Natasha Watley.
UCLA Undergraduate Assistant Coach Anjelica Selden, who appeared in the film as a member of the National Team, and UCLA Assistant Coach Gina Vecchione, who helped former USA Softball and UCLA Softball Coach Sue Enquist train Witherspoon during her preparation for the role, also walked the red carpet. Enquist, who was first approached about the film in 2002, served as the softball technical advisor for the movie.
Jack Nicholson, a three-time Academy Award winner, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson also star with Witherspoon in “How Do You Know”. Additional information on the film is available at www.HowDoYouKnow-Movie.com.
For pictures from the premiere of the movie, visit the official ASA/USA Softball Facebook page at www.facebook.com/asausasoftball/.
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation's largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 83 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men's, Women's, Junior Boys' and Junior Girls' National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women's National Team is one of the only two women's sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles including the last seven consecutive as well as claimed three World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com.
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