In baseball, women will soon have a league of their own
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What is the significance of the Women's Pro Baseball League?
Now Americans can look forward to seeing the Women's Pro Baseball League in summer 2026. Hello and welcome to The Excerpt. I'm Taylor Wilson. Today is Sunday, May 4th, 2025, and this is a special episode of The Excerpt. Women's sports have been on the rise, so it only seems natural that a women's pro league would take shape. But women already make up a rich part of baseball history. For more on that history and the current momentum of women's baseball, I'm joined by Callie Batts-Maddox, an associate professor of sports leadership and management at Miami University. Callie, thank you so much for coming on the excerpt today.
Thank you for having me.
So let's start with the moment right now. Really interesting moment. As I mentioned at the top, there is strong women's interest in baseball. We know there's strong interest from women's fans and franchises are catering to them with special meetups and clubs as well. But perhaps more interesting, Callie, is the rise of women on the MLB payroll. Let's just give out some stats.
How has women's representation in baseball changed over the years?
As of 2023, as you've outlined, women made up 30% of central office professional staff and 27% of team senior administration jobs. And on top of that, 43 women made held coaching and managerial jobs across the major and minor league levels, marking a 95% increase in just two years. So a lot of numbers there, as you've outlined, Callie. Are these increases more about interest or more opportunities?
I think it's both. I think it goes hand in hand. The increase for women having on field positions within Major League Baseball or professional baseball more widely has increased tremendously. And that is a result of having more opportunities, coaching, strength and conditioning positions, that on the field action that was really limited to men in the past. We've seen women being involved in professional baseball in administrative positions quite consistently. But it's really that increase on the on the field positions that is quite remarkable, where we're seeing that interest, the skill level, what women can contribute to the game and their passion for the game as well.
And just considering this increase in women holding coaching and managerial positions in baseball, how do you see the landscape changing really for women in pro baseball?
Well, in pro baseball, I think the opportunities will continue to increase. Major League Baseball has done a very good job of opening up pipeline opportunities for women who are interested in working in professional baseball. They do a yearly series that focuses on opportunities for women and really kind of creating a circular pipeline and a mentorship program
What historical roles have women played in baseball?
So that the women who are involved can be mentors and role models for young women who are interested in coming into that space. So I anticipate there's going to be a very consistent involvement of women in baseball and hopefully some increases. And we're going to see even more women taking on leadership roles.
All right, let's take a step back and look at the history of women in baseball. I know this has been a focus of yours, Callie. Women have played baseball at least since the 1860s. That's the Civil War era, not long after really the creation of the entire sport. And, you know, for more context, professional men's baseball started in 1869. So women were playing even before the men had a pro league.
How did the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League impact women's baseball?
Correct. Where were women playing early on and who were some of the early teams?
Well, early on, what we see in the 1860s, women at colleges and universities, so at all women's schools like Smith and Vassar, they were organizing baseball teams. And this was hardball, right? And we've seen baseball has evolved. The early form of the game was very different than we know it today.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the significance of the Women's Pro Baseball League?
0:27–1:22
2
How has women's representation in baseball changed over the years?
1:22–3:00
3
What historical roles have women played in baseball?
3:00–3:43
4
How did the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League impact women's baseball?
3:43–5:43
5
Why were women pushed into softball instead of baseball?
5:43–6:24
6
What cultural perceptions shaped the gendered sports landscape?
6:24–14:36
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Excerpt
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