Jin: Why more girls are answering the call of 'Play Ball'

From Danny Jin at the Christian Science Monitor at August 1, 2019, with mention of SABR member Justine Siegal:For Sarah Domin, there’s no greater feeling than hitting a baseball.The 11-year-old is used to holding her own as the only girl on the field with boys. She’s played since she was a toddler, and according to her father, Hank, she has the highest batting average on her coed travel team. Even so, she sometimes has to answer questions about why she doesn’t play softball.“Baseball is more fun,” she explains to those who ask.This year, she and her family started a team just for girls in their area. When the Upstate New York Boomers held their first practice on a soggy field behind a Camillus elementary school in April, they became part of a growing movement to expand girls’ access to “America’s pastime.” Nine girls showed up at first. But as word spread, more arrived, with 40 players now filling out the group’s two teams. Grassroots approaches like this are spreading across the United States at the same time the USA Baseball women’s national team competes in top tournaments internationally. With history showing a steady stream of women interested in playing the sport, observers say it’s time to update societal views about participation: Anyone who aspires to play should be able to.Read the full article here: https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/2019/0801/Why-more-girls-are-answering-the-call-of-Play-ball