Softball brings Iowa, Shanghai closer

Yellow soybean seeds may have first connected the US state of Iowa and China, but today, yellow softballs and student exchanges are carrying that relationship forward.

Students from Shanghai's Beisibao U13 softball team, along with representatives from the Shanghai Baseball and Softball Association, the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and the Shanghai Sports Federation, are now visiting Oskaloosa, Iowa. During the nine-day Musco Youth Sports Exchange program, they are competing with local players while experiencing life in the US.

The program began in 2025, when more than 100 young athletes from China and the United States first gathered in Shanghai.

Beyond the competition, they shared meals, explored the city and spent time together, forging friendships that lasted long after the games ended. Building on last year's inaugural exchange, organizers hope the program will become a long-term platform for youth friendship.

Jeff Rogers, CEO of Musco Lighting, the sponsor of the exchange program, said sports provided a natural way of connecting young people. While Chinese and US athletes compete against one another, they also play in mixed teams, giving them a chance to build friendships on and off the field.

"We like all sports, and we'll continue to do youth exchange through sports," Rogers said. "It's not just softball. We'll look at expanding into football, pickleball, tennis — wherever we can find the opportunity."

Wang Baodong, consul general of China in Chicago, welcomed the students from Shanghai and encouraged them to learn from one another. He hoped the young athletes would build lasting friendships through competition and carry forward the friendship between China and the US.

David Krutzfeldt, mayor of Oskaloosa, said the long-standing relationship between Iowa and China should continue to grow through closer cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. While hosting the games in the city, he also hopes students will explore the city.

"You're going to truly immerse yourselves in American culture and experience what life is like in the Midwest United States. I expect you will experience firsthand the genuine warmth of our community," he said. "Our relationship with China is one that needs to be enhanced, needs to be warmer. We have much to offer one another."

Building friendships

Two-time Olympic medal-winning softball player Michele Smith said softball and sports have the potential to bring young people together across cultures while continuing to grow worldwide.

Smith noted that softball has long been popular in both the US and China, recalling that the US team faced China at the 1996 Olympic Games, and she said the students today can find more similarities between each other.

"Sport brings everybody together, and it reminds us we're similar. We might grow up in different cultures and speak different languages, but we play the same sport. We meet each other, we stay in touch, and especially nowadays, the young athletes can continue to communicate even after the trip is over," she said.

Sarah Lande, one of Iowa's "old friends" of China, said the future of the relationship depends on the next generation carrying the friendship forward.

"Once we get young people playing together and understanding other countries, that's what's going to keep the future world together," Lande said.