In 1898, Lizzie Arlington was the first woman to play for a men’s professional baseball team. As of last year, over 1,300 high school girls played for baseball teams, while about 1.5 million played softball. Such a high interest in these sports prompted the assembly of The Women’s Professional Baseball League, or WPBL. The goal of this new league? To spread an opportunity for women to show their baseball talents on a professional level. Justine Siegal, a baseball coach in the MLB for the Oakland Athletics in 2015, co-founded the WPBL. With the help of co-founder Keith Stein, a lawyer and businessman with a history of sports ownership, Siegal hopes to launch the WPBL in 2026. Ayami Sato, a Japanese professional baseball pitcher, and Cito Gaston, an American MLB manager, are the league’s two advisors. Six teams will compete just as the MLB functions; with playoffs, a championship round, and a complete season.
Siegal shares, “I am so excited that there will finally be a professional women’s baseball league– it is a dream come true for all the girls and women who play America’s pastime.” What makes this truly a dream come true is the underlying impact the WPBL could have on girls and women across the nation– rather than being told to play softball, a close but distinct relative of baseball– the concept of the WPBL reveals that anyone can participate in baseball. As ABC narrates, “When she was 13, a coach told Siegal she shouldn’t play baseball because she was a girl. She was told to play softball, which is a reality many girls in the sport face.” Because of her firsthand experience with unfair rules imposed against girls, Siegal hopes to emphasize the claim that girls should not be restricted to playing softball, rather than baseball, due to their gender. The WPBL is a league for girls to demonstrate their ability and talent in the field of baseball. Or, as Siegel puts it, “the Women’s Pro Baseball League is here for all the girls and women who dream of a place to showcase their talents and play the game they love.” Siegel’s hope for the WPBL has so far been fulfilled; Sharanya Salvadi, a student athlete at Wilcox, explains that “I find it very inspiring that women are participating in men-dominated fields, especially in sports, and I’m really looking forward to seeing women in baseball.”
The WPBL plans to host a scouting camp in 2025, which will help them select players for each of the six teams. Co-founder Stein hopes the WPBL will gain popularity shortly after its launch, potentially encouraging the formation of an additional two teams.
While the idea has empowering roots, the league cannot avoid the obstacles faced by many women’s sports teams. One of the major issues is the financial gap between men and women. Stein recognizes this disadvantage, saying that “women baseball players… probably are not being paid what they deserve.” To combat this issue, Stein claims the WPBL will reach a point where the players’ salaries match those of other leagues, but “gradual[ly] over several years.” Another issue they face is interest and experience, especially because high schools do not offer exclusive women’s baseball teams. However, 1,372 high school girls played on boys’ baseball teams, showing promise for the WPBL. Additionally, Stein informed the media that “we believe that the success of other women’s professional leagues such as the WNBA and NWSL demonstrates the incredible interest and support for women’s sports.”
The WPBL has an official website, found at https://www.womensprobaseballleague.com, that reveals the league’s central goal: to “re-write history by creating an elite league that provides the world’s best female players with the platform they deserve and serve as a catalyst for creating a women’s baseball culture in America.” The WPBL will not impact only women’s role in baseball, but may serve as an example for other sports to create their own leagues for women as well.
