Former baseball player Maybelle Blair has been appointed as an honorary chair of the advisory board for the Women’s Professional Baseball League (WPBL), which has recently announced plans to launch a six-team league for women in 2026.
At 97 years old, Blair is celebrated for her contributions to the sport, particularly for her role in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which inspired the film “A League of Their Own.”
She will lead a distinguished group of women on the advisory board, which comprises influential figures from sports and business, including a key leader from the emerging Professional Women’s Hockey League, a seasoned ESPN executive, and renowned baseball pitcher Ayami Sato, a six-time World Cup champion.
Blair expressed her excitement about the upcoming league, stating, “We have been waiting 70 years for a women’s professional baseball league, and it means so much for the girls. It is going to be our great opportunity, and we must take advantage of it now.”
The WPBL aims to be the first professional league for women since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League folded in 1954.
Co-founders Justine Siegal, the first woman to coach a Major League Baseball team, and businessman Keith Stein are both committed to fostering a robust culture for women’s baseball in the United States.
As part of the preparations for its inaugural season, the league plans to conduct a scouting camp in spring 2025, followed by a player draft later in the year. The WPBL is set to feature a regular season, playoffs, and a championship during the summer of 2026.
Blair is set to make a memorable contribution by throwing the first pitch in the league’s opening game.
Siegal commented on Blair’s influence, saying, “I have so much respect for Maybelle and all of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players. The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League set a precedent on what’s possible in women’s professional baseball.”
She added that it’s crucial for the WPBL to honor the legacy of the past while paving the way for today’s aspiring professional baseball players.
The advisory board further includes notable individuals such as Nona Lee, the former chief legal officer for the Arizona Diamondbacks; Laura Gentile, the previous chief marketing officer for ESPN and founder of espnW; communications strategist Kate Childs Graham; Dr. Kat Williams, founder and CEO of the International Women’s Baseball Center; Dr. Leslie Heaphy, chair of the Society of American Baseball Research’s Women in Baseball Committee; and Digit Murphy, president of the Toronto Six hockey team.