A League of Their Own: 70 Years In The Making

If you are reading this then you've probably heard of Columbia Pictures’ 1992 hit film A League of Their Own. If you haven't, here's how the story goes: the movie focuses on the inaugural season of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), which was formed during World War II while many male players were serving in the military. This was the first of its kind that truly is a league of and for their own. It’s based on a real league: the AAGBPL ran from 1943 - 1954. It is lesser known, however, that although a few other leagues popped up over the years, it wasn’t until 2024, nearly 70 years later, that another league for women was developed and truly became another league of its own.

Five of the WPBL draft candidates at the league's tryouts in August 2025. Courtesy of womensprobaseballleague.com

Previous Failures 

The AAGBPL collapsed in 1954 after low attendance rates and difficulty signing players. A few other leagues, such as the Ladies League Baseball (LLB), were around for a couple of years, but it wasn’t until 2024 that a league hit the ground with the intended goal of reaching home base. The Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) was announced in July of 2024, 70 years after the AAGPBL. When announced, the intentions of the league were clear, with not only who they brought on, but also their goals and what they hoped to accomplish. Before this league, no college or post-secondary institution in the United States offered a women’s baseball program, and league co-founder, Justine Siegal, specifically wanted this league to provide role models that college sports – and professional ones – were lacking. 

Justine Siegal is a notorious advocate for gender equality in sports, but she isn’t the only big name in the ownership of the WPBL. The league isn’t partnered with Major League Baseball (MLB) – a deliberate move to ensure it has its independence – although many former MLB players are part of the ownership group. Most notable of these is former Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston, who is not only a special advisor to the league, but makes the overall message clear: this league is viable, and it’s here to stay. 

Athletes talking in the dugouts during the WPBL tryouts in August 2025. Courtesy of sportsnet.ca

The WPBL: Here To Stay

Though the league was announced in 2024, it wasn’t until August of 2025 that the rosters were announced and teams were revealed. In a press conference, the league disclosed that its inaugural season would be in the summer of 2026 and there would be four teams: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and New York. Although the league doesn’t have names or logos yet, it has also hinted that an expansion to six or eight teams is on the horizon, so we may have to wait a bit longer to rock their official merch. Additionally, though the four cities were announced to be the ‘teams’, for the inaugural season, the entire 6-week season will be held at Robin Roberts Stadium in Illinois. 

The WPBL is effectively the women’s version of the MLB, but the founders and league itself have worked very hard to ensure that it can shine on its own and is not afflicted directly with the MLB. Many of the technicalities are slightly different. For example, the WPBL will play seven-inning games as opposed to the MLB’s nine, and teams will have only 15-25 players. As well, there will be significantly fewer games in the season: the regular season is set to be about four weeks, with the postseason being about two. 

Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. Courtesy of mlb.com

This shorter format doesn't mean fans won’t see the elite talent within the league. The first overall pick went to San Francisco, and they selected Kelise Whitmore, who is a starting pitcher for the Savannah Bananas and who has also represented the United States nationally on many occasions. She is joined by Mo’ne Davis, who was the first girl to pitch a shutout in the Little League World Series – for this feat, she was featured on Sports Illustrated, and received congratulatory messages from MLB players such as Mike Trout and Marcus Stroman. 

Whitmore and Davis are only two of the over 600 women who tried out for said teams; however, there is much more talent left to be explored in the realm of women’s baseball. Because there are no women’s baseball teams in colleges or any sort of feeder team (as of now) into the WPBL, we don’t have a scope of which players to watch out for or who may excel on a new team. This means that new names can emerge as the season gets underway in the summer of 2026, and that new women’s sports leaders may surface. Though a women’s baseball league has been a long time coming, the WPBL is certainly going to accomplish its goal of bringing more attention to women’s baseball, and for the first time in 70 years, we’re excited to see that there truly is a league of their own that is here to stay!

Edited by Olivia Feldgus