I grew up on A League of Their Own. My grandma and I sat on the couch and rewatched it so many times, to the point where we were quoting it in our day to day life.
I’ve also been getting into sports recently, thanks to Ashley, a former FBC contributor who championed the WNBA here several times. Ashley got me into the WNBA, made sure I knew when the season was starting, and gave me everything I needed to know. From the WNBA, it has spiraled into women’s sports in general. So I am going to give you all the ultimate breakdown of the inaugural WPBL season.
The Teams
We have four teams, each representing their own city: Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. Each time is named after a woman who left a large impact on their city, which I think is absolutely amazing.
The Boston Hunters are named after Harriot Hunt, a doctor, abolitionist, and women’s rights activist who fought hard to become a doctor. She is the founder of the Ladies in Physiology Society. Their team captain is Alli Schroder, a Canadian pitcher and firefighter.
The Los Angeles Queens are named after “The Queen of Baseball”, Lizzie Murphy. She was the first woman to play against major league players, starting in a traveling team based in Boston. Their team captain is Ashton Lansdell, but you will most likely hear people talking about Mo’ne Davis. During the first game of the WPBL, bobbleheads of Davis were given out, and she ended up scoring the first run in the league’s history.
The San Francisco Firebells get their name from “Firebelle Lil”, Lillie Hitchcock Coit. If you’ve been to San Francisco, you may have heard of Coit Tower. She left part of her estate to the city of San Francisco, and they used that money to build Coit Tower. When she was a teenager, she saw a short staffed fire engine respond to a fire, and she decided to help them. She became an honorary member of the San Francisco Fire Department. The Firebells team captain is Kelsie Whitmore, the number one pick in the first ever WPBL draft. A pitcher and an outfielder, Whitmore was the 2022 Baseball Sportswoman of the Year, when she was also playing as a designated hitter.
The New York Heights are named after Dorothy Height, a civil and women’s rights activist who was often considered a core part of the “Big Six” (civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis) but is left out due to sexism. She helped create the March on Washington, best known for the “I Have a Dream” speech. The Heights team captain is Danae Benites, who hit the first home run in the league’s history.
The Legacy
I shared all of this information because the WPBL has made legacies an integral theme in their league. The league “mascot” is Maybelle Blair, who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1948 for the Peoria Redwings. She also serves as the Honorary Chair of the WPBL Advisory Board, and threw the first pitch at the first game.
From the naming conventions of the teams to the way the league honors Blair and the AAGPBL, legacy is built into everything about the league. Players are constantly referencing the players who came before them, and I think they are doing a great job at honoring where we’ve been and inspiring where we’re going.
How The League Works
It’s important to note that unlike the NBA and WNBA, the WPBL has no association with the MLB. We are seeing several differences due to this. There are seven inning instead of nine. Players use aluminum bats instead of wooden ones. A team is made up of 15 to 25 players, which makes them on the smaller side. The most notable difference, I believe, is that all 30 games during the season are going to be played in the same stadium - Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. While teams are meant to represent the four cities (Boston, LA, San Francisco, and NYC), they will all be playing in Illinois, alternating who is considered the “home” team and “away” team. I feel like this has an impact on how people interact with the teams, which has already been affected by my next point.
How Do I Watch?
Originally, the league didn’t have a media deal, so they were going to stream all games for free on YouTube. Other women’s sports leagues have done this with great success, such as F1 Academy and the PWHL.
However, a few days before the first game, the league announced that they made a deal with ESPN Select, which costs $13 a month to watch. People were outraged. The league had been hyping up how you could watch the games for free, and now they are behind yet another paywall. Even more frustrating, the league is still streaming the games! International viewers are able to watch every game on YouTube, as originally planned.
Between the media deal and the fact that every team is playing only in Springfield, Illinois, I worry that there might be some problems connecting to loyal fans. At the same time, the league is just starting out. It makes sense to keep everything small while finding your balance. No matter what, I’m excited for what the league brings us!
I hope you find some way to support the WPBL. Which team are you supporting this season? Personally, I’m rooting for the Firebells, even though I’m from LA. Let us know your choice down in the comments!
