Women’s history in sports isn’t as long as one might think. That’s mainly because in many countries, including the United States, women were only “allowed” to do certain sports for a certain period of time, and there were no pro leagues for them to participate in. Once Title IX came into play, which forced women’s sports to be considered and opened so that no discrimination could occur, things slowly started to open up. Fast forward to now, and women’s sports is one of the biggest things around, and MLB The Show 24 is ready to show that off with a new mode dedicated to the women of baseball.
While it’s true that there isn’t a women’s pro league for baseball, they’ve had an impact on the sport, and in sports like softball, over the years, including there being national teams for women’s baseball that have done incredibly well. Over on the PlayStation Blog, the team at San Diego Studio talked with narrative designer Mollie Braley and the legendary Kelsie Whitmore, who was the first woman ever to play in a league partnered by the MLB. She was also the 2022 USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year, so you know she has credentials.
They talked about the new “Road To The Show” mode, “The Women Pave Their Way,” and how it’ll be special compared to what’s been done in the past:
“This feature was inspired by the stories of women in baseball. Throughout history, women have been making waves in the sport. These include legends such as Toni Stone, who was one of the first women ever to play professional baseball, and has a new Storyline in MLB The Show 24. Our team wanted to create something where dreams become a reality, and we felt like adding this to Road to the Show was the perfect opportunity that gave our players the option to experience this.”
The different experience in this RTTS is to focus on the interactions your custom female ballplayer will have in the world of baseball, and they interacted with people like Kelsie to help make it as authentic as it could be so you could see how many have had it trying to make it in the sport. And Kelsie had plenty to say about that, too:
“To me, this project is a great opportunity for the world to be informed of women who play baseball and that taking their skills to the next level is possible. My hopes for this project is to educate others that women/girls do play baseball and that they are capable of competing in this game at every level.”
