DeKalb Times

Illinois state Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Sycamore) recently played in the 2022 Bi-State Softball Showdown.

"Had the opportunity to play in the Illinois vs. Missouri legislative charitable softball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis," Syverson said in a Facebook post. "While we lost 8-6, I'm proud that as the old guy on the field I held my own: got a couple hits and drove in two runs. Shows that age and experience still matters [sic]."

The game was hosted by Greater St. Louis, Inc. and hailed as a celebration of "the bi-state, bipartisan cooperation" that keeps the region viable, according to The Pantagraph. It continues a tradition among legislators from the two states.

The 2019 game was rained out, The Missouri Times reported. Missouri Rep. Travis Fitzwater (R-Fulton) was named MVP after he was the only lawmaker to land on second base before the rain started.

Illinois state Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea), the team manager, expressed excitement over the overall message he felt the game represented.

"I think everybody's mindful [that] there's differences between our state governments," he told The Pantagraph. “And everybody's mindful about [how] we as a country need to stop this bickering, we need to stop this infighting, we need to move the country forward."

Hoffman put the two states' lawmakers' obvious differences on issues like abortion and the overall direction of the country aside for the evening. He pointed to the level of bi-state support displayed by Illinois and Missouri in completing projects like the Interstate 255 rehabilitation and "attracting major events like the region's first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race," The Pantagraph reported.

State Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago) was named MVP for Illinois. She commented that her appearance in St. Louis highlighted "a stark reminder of how close we are geographically but how really far apart we are legislatively."

"It was just in the background," LaPointe said. "It wasn't at the forefront of our minds — we were out there to just have fun and build relationships with people. But, it was also a stark reminder, especially to me and others from Chicago, that we share borders and all you have to do is drive across the bridge and, all of a sudden, your access to what we all thought were fundamental rights are inhibited."