A new women’s professional baseball league was announced today, with plans to start play in 2026. The announcement, posted on the new league’s website, stated that the Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) would start with six teams located in the northeastern US, and that executives will work to secure a broadcasting deal before the league begins.
It may be hard to believe, with how much buzz there has been for women’s sports in the past few years, that a professional-level women’s baseball league doesn’t already exist. We didn’t know it, but it seems as if the last one was the AAGPBL, which was the league that the movie “A League of Their Own” was based on. But that league ceased operations in 1954, and there hasn’t been a professional level league to replace it since.
So do we think they will have a chance? Sure! Women’s sports are all the rage these days, and for good reason. The WNBA and NWSL are constantly setting new records for attendance and ratings, and the consumer market has finally embraced these sports with their wallets and eyeballs. The strategy of a regional rollout is probably a great idea, as it will help them keep costs down and will also give the teams the ability to develop regional rivalries. And finally, there’s no shortage of already existing venues for the league to choose from. Any minor league facility should be more than sufficient for the initial launch, and should they find success, we think that more than a few MLB venues wouldn’t mind the additional revenue from more events.
Of course with every new league that comes on the scene, the average fan has yet another decision to make as to where to invest their sports attention. But it’s hard to imagine this new league not at least having a chance to get itself in front of an audience.
We will keep you posted as more details are announced. For more information, check out the write-up from Yahoo Sports.
