It’s a new day for women’s sport; women’s baseball and basketball are both expanding.

The Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL) was formed in 2024 with its inaugural season set for 2026. On Oct. 21 of this year, they announced the first four cities that will feature their very own WPBL teams: Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and San Francisco. The intentional choice of these cities reflected their statuses as ‘baseball towns,’ with long histories and dedicated fanbases. 

The league is not the first to attempt to nationalize women’s baseball. When many men’s major and minor league teams disbanded during World War II due to players being drafted, Chicago Cubs owner Philip Wrigley founded the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) in 1943. Players wore skirts as part of their uniform, were expected to wear makeup, and coached in acting “ladylike.” Despite initial success, the AAGPBL dissolved in 1954.

Black women were refused the opportunity to play in the AAGPBL, but found a home in the Negro Leagues in the 1950s. Three players, Toni Stone, Connie Morgan, and Mamie Johnson, played alongside, overcame great adversity, and forged their way into baseball history. Most notably, Toni Stone replaced Hank Aaron at second base on the Indianapolis Clowns when he signed with a major league team in 1952. Stone was the first woman to play in a major professional league. 

The WPBL is hopeful that the baseball fans in each of these cities will embrace the new teams and cheer them on alongside the Major League teams they have long adored. This is critical for the success and expansion of women’s baseball. 

Tryouts for the league were held this past August at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. Over six hundred players tried out, some traveling from countries like Japan, Mexico, and Australia. The one hundred fifty players who made it to the final round will be selected by teams in the online draft on Nov. 20 at 8 pm EST. The draft will contain six rounds, with five players selected per round by each team. By the end, one hundred twenty players will have been drafted, with thirty on each of the four teams. 

Some players are already set to become the WPBL’s breakout stars. Most notable is Philadelphia’s own Mo’ne Davis, who reached stardom at only 13 years old, pitching for the Mid-Atlantic Region in the 2014 Little League World Series (LLWS). She was the first female player to pitch a winning game in LLWS history, as well as the first female player to pitch a shutout in Little League postseason history. Her highly-feared fastball reached up to 70 mph (equivalent to a 93 mph MLB fastball in terms of batter reaction time)! Now at 24, Davis is looking to forge a new path, this time in women’s professional baseball. 

Another player to keep an eye on is 27-year-old Kelsie Whitmore from San Diego, California. She has played for the American Women’s National Team since 2014and was the first woman to play for a MLB-affiliated league with the Staten Island Ferryhawks in 2022. She now plays for the TikTok-famous Savannah Bananas, performing tricks and dominating on the pitcher’s mound in front of tens of thousands of fans. 

In other women’s sports news, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is coming to Philadelphia in 2030 after a years-long wait. Founded in 1996, the WNBA originally consisted of eight teams. It now has thirteen, with plans to add five more in the next five years. Recent increases in popularity have been driven by young college basketball stars, like Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, and Caitlin Clark. 

The Philadelphia team will play in the same stadium as the NBA’s 76ers, the Xfinity Mobile Arena (formerly known as the Wells Fargo Center) in South Philadelphia. A name for the team has not been announced yet, but will be chosen at a later date based on feedback from Philadelphia fans. I am secretly hoping for ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ after the Elton John song, and to lean into the city’s historic roots.  

Women in sports have fought long and hard to gain the recognition and opportunity they deserve in such a male-dominated field. The WPBL and the WNBA expansions are two giant steps in the right direction. 

For all the female athletes out there, you belong in sports. Don’t let anyone try to tell you otherwise. It’s a new day for women’s sports, and your opportunities only continue to grow. 

And for all readers, go watch women’s sports.