On November 3, reports of a women's professional baseball league surfaced. According to reports, the Women's Professional Baseball League (WPBL) will be launched in 2026. All they need to do is find some players.
"A women’s professional baseball league is set to launch in 2026. via: Just Women’s Sports" - BaseballHistoryNut
Unlike previous female leagues, the WPBL will be overhand pitch, and apply MLB rules. After hearing about the possible new addition to the baseball sphere, fans weighed in, some in a mocking fashion.
The question of how to populate the female players in the women's baseball league is also a concern. Most amateur female players around the USA have come up playing slow-pitch. This led some fans to postulate which names they might see take to the field in two years.
"Does Caitlin Clark know how to play baseball?" - asked a fan
"Hopefully they have better attitudes than the wnba." - satirized another
"Excellent! They’ll show the WNBA how to REALLY loss money" - snarked another
Although the specifics of the league are yet to be determined, it is known that the women's professional baseball league will consist of six teams from the US Northeast. It is expected to draw heavily from the US National Women's Baseball Team, which itself drew from top-ranked NCAA softball players as well as women who competed alongside men in lower-level hardball leagues. Amid the vitriol, some fans stated their belief that the new league was a positive for baseball.
"Can never complain about more baseball" - claimed a fan
"Good luck, make it fun and something people want to watch" - said another
"I wanna see what the girls can do" - came a final endorsement
Women's Professional Baseball League seeks to bring more young talent into baseball
Although we are still a few years out from the manifestation of the WPBL, co-founder Justine Siegal believes that the league will give a chance for hardball-playing females to shine. As Siegal told NBC News:
“There are girls playing baseball and local leagues around the country right now, the baseball community has already moved forward, growing the sport for girls, and the WPBL is going to be able to give a pipeline for girls who are being told they should quit when now they know that they have a place that they could play in.”
Certainly a novel idea, the organizers of the WPBL are embarking on a journey to change baseball's gender dynamics forever.