Prime Video New Series, A League of Their Own, Brings Together Female Athletes and the Sports Community To Write A Letter Inspiring And Forging A New Tomorrow For Girls In Sports Everywhere

30,000 Baseballs Used as a Rallying Cry For Young Female Athletes Across the Globe

CULVER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prime Video is honoring the fierce female trailblazers who defied conventional society by pursuing their passions to be professional baseball players with the premiere of A League of Their Own on August 12. To celebrate the launch of the new series, Prime Video gathered an impressive group of athletes that dismantle the typical gender boundaries of sports to play ball and pen a letter to future young female baseball players.

Following the first pitch that was thrown by Maybelle Blair to Abbi Jacobson, the teams faced off on the diamond with professional softball players, Haley Cruse Mitchell, Rachel Garcia, Paige Halstead all playing ball. They were joined by Kelsie Whitmore, the first woman to appear in the starting lineup of an Atlantic League baseball game, and Olympians, Amy Rodriguez, Ilona Maher, Tamyra Mensah Stock and Ibtihaj Muhammad, along with other inspiring athletes.

These athletes from all backgrounds came together to send a powerful message that celebrates the incredible women who came before them, while forging ahead to create a new tomorrow for girls everywhere. More than 4 million kids from age six to twelve play baseball. Of that, the number of girls playing is approximately 100,000. The myth prevails – baseball is for boys.

"Girls aren’t not playing baseball because they aren’t capable,” said Justine Siegal, Founder of Baseball for All. “They aren’t playing because they see no viable future in the sport for themselves.”

The letter, written on over 30,000 baseballs placed on a ballfield, is an indelible message of empowerment and support for new generations of female athletes. While the feat of creating this massive letter is impressive, it’s the powerful contents of the letter that resonate most.

"Bringing women from all kinds of sports together is amazing, especially to share all of our experiences,” said Maybelle Blair, former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player and inspiration for A League of Their Own. “I want girls to never give up their dream. The door is wide open – so take advantage of it!”

DEAR FUTURE,

THIS LETTER WRITTEN BY US, THE NEW GENERATION OF GIRLS IN BASEBALL, IS A PROMISE THAT WE WILL CREATE A FUTURE WHERE BASEBALL IS FOR EVERYONE.

WHILE HONORING THE PIONEERS THAT CAME BEFORE US, WE PROMISE TO BUILD A BETTER FUTURE WHERE WOMEN ARE LIFTED UP AND CELEBRATED FOR PLAYING THE GAME.

OUR PASSION WILL DRIVE US TO BREAK THROUGH BARRIERS, AND THE SWEAT ON OUR DUSTY JERSEYS WILL BE PROOF OF THE EFFORT WE PUT INTO EVERY GAME.

EVERY HOME RUN WE HIT, EVERY STRIKEOUT WE THROW, WILL GET US CLOSER TO THE CEILING YOU KNOW WE’LL SHATTER ONE DAY.

THESE BASEBALL ARE MORE THAN JUST BALLS. THEY REPRESENT OUR HARD WORK AND DREAMS TRANSFORMED INTO THIS LETTER TO YOU.

THE GIRLS

“We created more than just a marketing activation,” said Jazmine Chase, Influencer Marketing Manager at Amazon Prime Video & Studios. “These more than thirty thousand baseballs transformed into this Letter to the Future is a reminder that when several dissenting voices come together, the message grows even louder. This is historic and important to all women’s baseball leagues.”

The letter was created in partnership with Prime Video and Baseball for All, a girls’ baseball nonprofit organization that builds gender equity by creating opportunities for girls to play, coach, and lead in the sport. Prime Video’s commitment to the organization will help communities grow girls’ involvement in youth baseball leagues and help girls deal with the discrimination that they face when entering into the male-dominated sport.

Watch a teaser about how the A League of the Own’s Girls’ Letter to the Future was created on YouTube and tune into the new series A League of Their Own on August 12 only on Prime Video.

Join the conversation @leagueonprime #findyourteam.

A League of Their Own on Prime Video

A League of Their Own evokes the joyful spirit of Penny Marshall's beloved classic, while widening the lens to tell the story of an entire generation of women who dreamed of playing professional baseball, both in and outside of the AAGPBL. The show follows Carson (Abbi Jacobson) and Max (Chanté Adams) and a new ensemble of sharp and hilarious characters as they carve their paths toward the field, along the way finding their teams and themselves.

With Abbi Jacobson as Carson, Chanté Adams as Max, D'Arcy Carden as Greta, Gbemisola Ikumelo as Clance, Roberta Colindrez as Lupe, Nick Offerman as Dove, Saidah Arrika Ekulona as Toni, Kate Berlant as Shirley, Kendall Johnson as Gary, Kelly McCormack as Jess, Alex Désert as Edgar, Priscilla Delgado as Esti, Aaron Jennings as Guy, Molly Ephraim as Maybelle, Melanie Field as Jo, Dale Dickey as Beverly.

A League of Their Own is from Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television in association with Field Trip Productions. The series is co-created and executive produced by Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson. Field Trip’s Hailey Wierengo and Desta Tedros Reff also serve as executive producers. Jamie Babbit directed the pilot and also serves as executive producer. Based on the film from Sony’s Columbia Pictures.