Let's Go WPBL
The new era of women's baseball begins.
The Women’s Professional Baseball League kicked off their inaugural season this past weekend in Springfield Illinois. The first weekend featured two games: New York Heights vs Los Angeles Queens, and San Francisco Firebells vs Boston Hunters.
One of the coolest things about the league is the way they honor trailblazing women of the past.
The teams are each named after local legends. For the NY Heights, it’s civil rights leader Dorothy Height. For the Boston Hunters, it’s one of America’s first female physicians, Harriot Hunt. The SF Firebells are named for “Firebelle Lil” Hitchcock Coit, an influential early volunteer firefighter. And the LA Queens get their name from “Queen of the diamond” Lizzie Murphy, who played against major league players in the 1920s.
The WPBL instagram has cool videos unveiling the name for each of the teams:
Then there’s the league’s mascot, Maybelle, who embodies the likeness and tenacity of 99-year-old Maybelle Blair. Blair played for the original AAGPBL back in the 40’s, and is on the advisory board for the WPBL. She also threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the league’s first game.
I watched most of both opening games, which wasn’t exactly easy. The games are streaming on ESPN Select, which is an “expanded” version of ESPN that’s not part of the base Disney+ Subscription. For me, it was like $13 more on my plan—a price I’m entirely willing to pay to support the league. International viewers can watch on YouTube, but it’s geo-locked. It’s also apparently on Scripps TV, which I’ve never heard of before.
Personally I think the league should have offered all the games for free on YouTube worldwide. I get that they’d be missing out on the ESPN revenue, but I feel like building a fanbase and hype would be more useful to them in the long run. But who knows.
The games were fun. I’m still getting to know the players, apart from a few of the well-known ones from Banana Ball. It’s nice to see so many countries represented.
What’s not so nice is the vitriol in the commentary. The internet’s need to disparage women’s sports is simultaneously enraging and disheartening.
OK, so they can’t throw fastballs as fast as the guys. So what? Pitchers used to pitch slower in the MLB too, before we optimized pitching to within an inch of its life. And honestly, I think the MLB games were more fun when the starting pitchers went longer, the hitters got more hits, and it wasn’t all about velocity.
Yes, they use composite or metal bats that can generate more power than wooden ones. Who cares? Nobody’s putting Denae Benites (who hit the WPBL’s first home run) up against Jordan Walker (2026 All Star Home Run Derby champ) in a home run derby. Bat rules are designed for safety and to keep everyone on a level playing field. Even NCAA college rules allow non-wood bats.
Yes, there were a few bloopers. Again, so? I imagine the pressure was immense, so some opening day jitters are understandable. Also, as a lifelong Pittsburgh Pirates fan, I have to deal with stuff like this on the regular. Don’t pretend like MLB players are unerring paragons of performance:
Jokes aside, comparisons across leagues are silly. I used to live in a town that didn’t have a MLB team nearby, so we would watch the local AA team. They were still professionals and talented athletes in their own right. It was still fun to go and watch a game and root for them. Same with Banana Ball. The Savanah Bananas just sold out Wrigley Field for three days straight. If your response to minor league or Banana Ball is, “Well, they couldn’t stack up to the MLB so they suck!”, then you have lost the plot.
I had a childlike glee watching the ladies play, and I know I’m not the only one. They’re just getting started, and I wish them many seasons to come.