{
  "id": 57146,
  "title": "Women’s Professional Baseball League Kicks Off In Springfield, Ill.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/womens-professional-baseball-league-kicks-off-in-springfield-ill",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-02T20:04:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Forbes",
    "slug": "forbes",
    "url": "https://www.forbes.com/sites/danfreedman/2026/08/02/womens-professional-baseball-league-kicks-off-in-springfield-ill/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Women's Professional Baseball League (WPBL) began its inaugural season in Springfield, Illinois yesterday, marking the first women's professional baseball on American soil in over 70 years. The Los Angeles Queens defeated the New York Heights 10-8 in the sold-out opener. Maybelle Blair, a veteran of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, tossed the ceremonial first pitch. Founded by Commissioner Justine Siegal, the league features four teams with 60 players from 11 countries competing for six weeks. The WPBL aims to grow interest in women's sports and potentially expand in future seasons. The league secured deals with ESPN for game streaming and Scripps for additional support. ESPN will broadcast all 37 games, and the first 1,000 fans at Sunday's Firebells vs. Boston Hunters game will receive a Whitmore bobblehead.",
  "summary": "The Women's Professional Baseball League kicked off Saturday in Springfield, Ill., it was the first women's professional baseball game in the U.S. in more than 70 years.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Associated Press",
        "title": "Women’s Professional Baseball League makes a rainy debut in front of enthusiastic crowd",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/womens-professional-baseball-league-makes-a-rainy-debut-in-front-of",
        "published": "2026-08-02T02:23:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}