Ever-present and relegated to the sidelines, women’s baseball is finally being seen

In an alternate timeline and alternate world, the great tennis player Billie Jean King might have become a professional baseball player. Ellie Ripken, like her Hall of Fame brother Cal Jr., may have been the star of the legendary Ripken baseball family.

Jackie Mitchell She may have broken Major League Baseball's glass ceiling when she struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game in 1931. The All-American Women's Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) may have existed alongside MLB after 1954. Colorado Silver Bullets Some join as extended teams.

In its place was an arbitrary and artificial barrier: an invisible sign on the baseball diamond that read “No Women Allowed.”

Finally, that is starting to change.

Thanks to the inspiring stories of incredible pioneering athletes from around the world and visionary photographer Gene Hulse, women's baseball is now in the spotlight in Hulse's directorial debut, See Her Be Her. ” and is receiving deserved attention. documentary Introducing women's baseball, focusing on the six teams that will advance to the semifinals in 2024. women's baseball world cup.

With women's sports on the rise and breaking viewership records on basketball courts and soccer fields, women's baseball is finally starting to take off.

Regarding the film, which premiered on MLB Network on October 27, Hulse said, “The goal is to make a movie, and the awareness creates opportunities.'' “We're starting to get really good traction with this film. It's really good timing. It's so important to these women. Lack of equality – it's time for people to step up. You should do more. You have to help move things along. It doesn't happen naturally.”

story

The film features a cast of international baseball stars who are taking women's baseball to the next level. Kelsey Whitmore is paving the way for women's baseball in the United States by becoming the first woman to play in a full-season league affiliated with Major League Baseball in 2022. american women's national team. She currently plays as a pitcher and outfielder. auckland bowlers.

Ayami SatoHer skills on the pitcher's mound have contributed to the development of baseball in Japan, which has 23,000 female baseball players on 102 teams. Sato helped Japan win the Women's World Baseball Cup Championship six times from 2010 to 2024 (Japan has won seven straight, including in 2008 before she joined the team).

Lilian Naiga's love and talent for baseball is fostering a new generation of women's baseball in Uganda through an organization called . baseball of the heart. Women from places like Puerto Rico, Cuba, South Korea and Canada are testament to the growth of the women's game.

“It's definitely been much bigger than we expected,” Hulse said. His career includes covering the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants, being a photo storyteller for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and… 3 baseball books It's full of great photos of her. “But it was kind of a no-op, because if you don't tell an international story, it's not a real story. It's important to know how big it is.”

By the end of filming, Hulse had traveled to seven countries on three continents, conducted interviews in four languages, and collected beautiful B-roll scenes and photographs. book with the same nameIncludes essays by female stars, Cal Ripken Jr., AAGPBL players, and more, and Hulse had over 500 hours of film.

“It was really difficult to extract the stories of these women because they were all so deep,” said Hulse. “We had to tell a story that goes through the story arch. The mission is to give them more chances, so always keep that in mind. Give these women more chances.” So, keep editing with that as your goal.”

momentum

Despite league suspensions and restarts in the past, where women were excluded for biological reasons or told to play softball instead, female baseball players have always persevered. It's here. The Women's World Baseball Cup was created in 2004, but has remained in the shadows without the huge sums of money that make promotion, television and streaming deals possible. “See Her Be Her” is currently reintroducing women's baseball to fans and players and raising awareness to level the playing field.

“Start small, build it, and when it's there, it's about seeing her and being her. Now little girls can also think, 'Oh, there's professional baseball,' so The pipeline will grow,” Hulse said. “More girls play, more women play, more opportunities to play, so they stay in the game longer. Everything takes time, but it's absolutely possible.”

Even before “See Her Be Her” was released, the possibilities began to unfold. Hulse was in the spotlight because she was in talks to film the Women's World Cup in Canada in August and broadcast it on MLB Network. Stream the championship on MLB.com Japan between America and Canada. When the film aired on MLB Network in October, Hulse was flooded with positive feedback.

By: Jean Fruth/See Her Be Her

“They took some great photos of the girls team and the viewing party and thanked us,” Hulse said. “People said, 'My daughter saw this,' and even men said, 'I didn't get it.' Now I want my daughter to play baseball.' They are also converting people. ”

Now Fruits, “See Her Be Her” Producer Jeff Idelsonformer president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and co-founder of the nonprofit organization Furus grassroots baseball We are committed to promoting and celebrating amateur baseball around the world and are working to bring this film to a wider audience.

“Right now we're just getting the streaming part because not everyone can watch it on MLB Network and we're getting close to that, so the goal is early next year so everyone can watch it.” , to make it available for streaming on available platforms, “to make it available to a wider audience and available in other countries,'' Hulse said. “We are working with our international streaming partners. We are working as quickly as possible to have it available by baseball season, hopefully.”

Two days after “See Her Be Her” aired, the following news broke out: Women's professional baseball league (WPBL) Now in stock. The six-team East Coast women's league will begin in 2026. The league was founded by a former player and the first woman to coach a men's professional baseball team (Brockton Rocks in 2009). baseball for alla nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for girls to play and coach baseball, and attorney and businessman Keith Stein.

Between the WPBL, the Women's Baseball World Cup, and ever-growing leagues in countries around the world, Hulse believes there are endless possibilities for women's baseball.

“I believe that in 10 years we will have a league that people want to see, with great products on the field and success in other sports,” Hulse said. “We have a good example. Just like in basketball, just like in soccer. Just like in tennis.”

Look, that's it

In addition to being the executive producer of “See Her Be Her,” King also wrote the book's 256-page foreword. She served as an example to show that women can also be professional tennis players and athletes. Once they see it, they can become it. Now, this might be the path for baseball.

King and his wife, Ilana Cross, are minority owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a child, King loved baseball. When she was nine years old, she went to a Pacific Coast League game in Los Angeles. randy moffittwitnessed the zenith of his potential and went on to record a 12-year career in the big leagues. It was a different scene for King.

“The thrill of being at the ballpark quickly faded when I realized that all the players on the field were men. I was a girl who was good at sports, but I didn't develop into a baseball player because I was a woman. “I realized I couldn't do it,” King writes in the book. “It devastated me.”

When Hulse approached King to write an essay for the book, she knew King also wanted to be involved in the film, but also loved baseball and was passionate about her lifelong fight for equality in sports. I was happy to add this as a new chapter. For women. Flute was shocked by King's words.

“She said, 'Everyone should have the right and the chance to dream.' Every girl should be able to dream. Every woman should be able to dream and be at the highest level.” We should be able to dream about it,” Hulse said. “It was so cool. It was so real. She stuck to it. She's amazing.”

One of the most moving scenes in the film is when the women who play baseball in Uganda watch highlights from the Women's Baseball World Cup after a day of baseball practice. It was exactly what Hulse had dreamed of.

“They popped their eyes out of their heads and were like, 'Yeah, we want a team.' We want that,” Fruth said. “It was a moment of meeting her and becoming her. Watching them put on the uniform and play at a high level and hit home runs, like Kelsey (Whitmore) hitting a three-run home run. And , those women could do that too if given the chance. It could be a whole other movie.”