Women Playing Soft...I Mean Baseball?

Mark Duncan/Associated Press

Anyone who has seen the movie, A League of Their Own, knows the story of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, the first nationally recognized women’s league started in 1943. Although disbanded in 1954, the league gave over 600 women the opportunity to play professional baseball and still inspires female athletes today. While the league began with a mix of softball and baseball rules, eventually underhand pitching and larger balls gave way to the “male” version of overhand pitching and smaller balls.

Today, women such as Justine Siegal are following in the footsteps of these great women and inspiring the next generation of ballplayers. Siegal’s professional history includes becoming the first female, first base coach of a men’s professional baseball team in 2009 and the first female college baseball coach from 2007-2010. Adding to her firsts for women, Siegal found herself pitching at the Indians, Athletics, Cardinals, Astros, and Mets Spring training camps this year impressing coaches and players alike with her talent and skill. (Swain, NY Times)

While these are great accomplishments, Siegel is doing much more outside of the professional arena. As Founder and Executive Director of Baseball for All, Siegal states, “If we tell girls they can’t play baseball, what else will they believe they can’t do? But better yet, if we tell a girl that she can play baseball, what else will she believe that she can do?” Siegal began her quest for girls to be accepted in the sport of baseball at the age of 13 with a coach who didn’t believe girls should play the sport. Her determination kept her playing with the boys through high school and in men’s leagues. Today through her non-profit organization, Siegel encourages the belief that baseball is for everyone regardless of race or gender. She “envisions a day when girls will have the same opportunities as boys to compete in baseball at every level of play.” Currently, Baseball for All holds the country’s only girls baseball tournament, offers national clinics and an International Baseball Academy. They also sponsor All-Star Teams and participate in the World Children’s Baseball Fair.

So where is the future of girls baseball headed? Are we closer to seeing a new generation of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League? With role models like Justine Siegal, one never knows! I for one would buy a ticket to see women play a little baseball!