For OU Softball, Joy Doesn’t Come from Winning (Another) National Title

<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW99714065 BCX4"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW99714065 BCX4"><span class= "TextRun SCXW99714065 BCX4" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW99714065 BCX4">In sports news, the Denver Nuggets have won their first NBA Championship, in their 47</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW99714065 BCX4" lang= "EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class= "NormalTextRun Superscript SCXW99714065 BCX4" data-fontsize= "16">th</span></span> <span class="TextRun SCXW99714065 BCX4" lang= "EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW99714065 BCX4">year in the league. That was this week. Last week, it was the Oklahoma Sooners women’s softball team that dominated headlines, winning their third straight and seventh overall NCAA championship. </span></span><span class= "EOP SCXW99714065 BCX4" data-ccp-props= "{"134233279":true,"201341983":0,"335559731":720,"335559739":160,"335559740":480}"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW99714065 BCX4"> <p class="Paragraph SCXW99714065 BCX4"><span class= "TextRun SCXW99714065 BCX4" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW99714065 BCX4">For those of us who don’t typically follow this</span> <span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW99714065 BCX4">particular sport</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW99714065 BCX4">, the OU team was as well known for their celebrations and press conferences as for their dominant play.</span> <span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW99714065 BCX4">The word that comes to mind, partly because it was repeated over and over by those in the program and those watching, is joy. To be clear, for these Sooners, joy is not a consequence of winning.</span> <span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW99714065 BCX4">It’s</span> <span class= "NormalTextRun SCXW99714065 BCX4">the other way around. When asked about their joy, during a press conference a few days before winning the national title, team captain Grace Lyons said this: </s