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March 1, 2024
Across Latin America, baseball is the dominant sport, most notably in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Venezuela and Mexico. However, in parallel to what has traditionally been the experience for women in the culture, opportunities for men take precedence. So, for women interested in playing baseball’s complementary sport, softball, professional opportunities are few.
“For too long, female softball players in Latin America faced a stark reality: their professional aspirations had geographical constraints, necessitating a move to the United States or Japan to play at a professional level,” reports BNN.
That changed in January with the launch of a new professional women’s softball league in Mexico, believed to be the first in Latin America. The league’s inception was spearheaded by Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, the country’s 100-year-old professional men’s baseball league. The inaugural season encompasses 120 women across six teams, with five out of six team managers being women. The opening game attracted more than 13,000 fans – a record for a softball game in the Americas – and, according to the league, the first month attracted a total of 109,000 fans.
According to Stefania Aradillas, an outfielder for the Diablos Rojos Femenil of Mexico City, the formation of the league is reflective of the growing trend and popularity of women’s sports around the world. “Before, there wasn’t even a question of ‘should there be a professional sport for women?’ it was a given that it didn’t exist. Period. But we’re finding our place in society, not just in sports, but in all areas,” she told the New York Times.
The regular season runs through March 3, followed by playoffs which will finish mid-March. Most of the six clubs come from each of the biggest cities in the country, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterey, Leon, Tabasco and Veracruz. While the majority of the players are from Mexico, some have come from Cuba, Venezuela and Columbia to name a few.
According to UN Women, Mexico has high indices of discrimination, that are the cause and consequence of continuous marginalization in wide sectors of the population, mainly women, girls, indigenous population and migrants. However, the agency also notes that the country has made progress on women’s rights and gender equality, strengthening national laws to ensure women and men equality, strong gender institutionalism and increased public resources earmarked for gender equality. Beyond sport, the league’s creation shows that advances are being made in the fight for gender equality.
However, along with the progress, the creation also reflects the current challenges that women are facing in sports especially when it comes to funding, visibility and social acceptance. Horatio De La Vega, Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Executive President acknowledges that much work remains to be done to ensure the sport’s viability for the future. “ For sure we’re going to make mistakes, like any big project, and we have to make corrections, but it’s part of the growth.”
Sources: BNN, The New York Times
Photos: Diablos Rojos Femenil
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