A 海角社区官网businessman is aiming to launch a聽new professional women鈥檚 baseball league that will begin play in the summer of 2026.
Keith Stein, who bought the Intercounty Baseball League鈥檚 海角社区官网Maple Leafs for more than $1 million last year, is behind the league. He鈥檚 joined by co-founder Justine Siegal, the first woman to coach a pro men鈥檚 baseball team.
The league 鈥 officially the Women鈥檚 Pro Baseball League, or WPBL 鈥 is currently courting potential owners and will finalize its first six teams by mid-2025, Stein told the Star. Teams will play in ballparks smaller than 10,000 fans and the league is working to secure a national broadcast deal for its inaugural season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a travesty, I think, that a league like this doesn鈥檛 already exist,鈥 Stein said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e fixing something that should have been dealt with a long time ago.鈥
But 海角社区官网probably won鈥檛 be getting a team, at least in the first season. The WPBL is looking to keep teams close together in the northeast U.S., Stein said, with the ultimate goal of a national league 鈥 and, eventually, a team in this city.
The lack of appropriate facilities in 海角社区官网is a hurdle. With the Rogers Centre’s capacity of 39,000 being far too large, the remaining options are slim to none.
鈥淏ut if Larry Tanenbaum called me and said he was interested, that鈥檚 an example of how a great ownership group, a great owner, can change your perspective,鈥 Stein said, referencing the chair of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment and owner of Toronto鈥檚 new WNBA franchise.
That franchise, set to start play in 2026, is part of a boom for women鈥檚 sports in North America. The WNBA, buoyed by rookies like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, had its best ratings and attendance in close to a quarter-century this past season.
Meanwhile, 海角社区官网is set to welcome a pro women鈥檚 soccer team in 2025 as part of the Northern Super League. And in its inaugural season, the 海角社区官网Sceptres of the Professional Women鈥檚 Hockey League sold out all of their home games. The PWHL is already looking at expanding past six teams.
Ashley Stephenson, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer currently coaching the Blue Jays鈥 high-A affiliate Vancouver Canadians, is optimistic about the possibility of a pro women鈥檚 baseball league 鈥 but also takes it with a grain of salt.
鈥淚t鈥檚 challenging because we鈥檝e been hoping and dreaming of this for a lifetime 鈥 but it has to be done right,鈥 Stephenson said. 鈥淚f it fails, I don鈥檛 know when that opportunity is going to come around again.鈥
Stephenson is hopeful it won鈥檛. For it to succeed, she said, it will have to have the best players in the world, just as the PWHL did when it replaced two separate, previous leagues that vied for talent.
And it must have financial backing. Katie Lebel, a professor at the University of Guelph who studies gender equity and sports business, said investment is needed to market the league, as well as create a positive fan environment for those who attend in-person. For those watching from afar, the broadcasts must be easily accessible.
鈥淚f you plant the flowers, you need to also water it and fertilize it and do all the things to help them grow,鈥 Lebel said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just expect them to thrive without any attention.鈥
Gaston is joining the Intercounty Baseball League’s Maple Leafs as a special adviser and attending a handful of games next season.
Gaston is joining the Intercounty Baseball League’s Maple Leafs as a special adviser and attending a handful of games next season.
If successful, the league would offer a boon in opportunity for women’s baseball players. There were nearly 27,000 girls and women playing baseball in Canada’s 10 provinces in 2023, according to data provided by Baseball Canada, more than double the 11,594 who were playing a decade ago. And in the U.S., nonprofit Baseball for All reports over 100,000 girls play youth baseball.
Stein will spend the months ahead building out the league office and finding owners for the inaugural teams. Formerly senior vice-president of Magna International and part-owner of Krispy Kreme Canada, he said he is looking for 鈥渢he best owners鈥 who are willing to wait to turn a profit.
“Everybody wants to own a professional sports franchise these days,” Stein said, “but not everybody should own a professional sports franchise.”
Stein鈥檚 interest in founding the league began two years ago, when he was in talks to buy the 海角社区官网Six of the Premier Hockey Federation, a predecessor to the PWHL. Work on the WPBL started in earnest nine months ago.
Stein has brought in former Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston as a special adviser, a position Gaston also holds with the Leafs. Ayami Sato, a Japanese pitcher considered by some to be the greatest female baseball player ever, is also an adviser.
Stein is not shy about his vision for the WPBL.
鈥淛ust look at Major League Baseball.鈥
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