Woman Launches Pro Baseball League After Being Told to Quit

At 13, Justine Siegal was the only girl on her baseball team when her coach told her she didn't belong. She decided right then she'd play baseball forever.

The more people told her to quit, the harder she worked. She sat on benches while coaches asked her to keep score instead of play, but she refused to give up on her dream of making it to the big leagues.

Justine became the first woman to coach men's professional baseball and the first to throw batting practice for a Major League team. When coaches told her no man would listen to a female coach, she proved them wrong by helping players improve and win games.

Her biggest inspiration came from her daughter Jasmine. Justine realized she needed to build a world where girls wouldn't face the same discrimination she endured.

In 2010, she founded Baseball for All, a nonprofit that helps communities start girls' baseball leagues and offers leadership programs. The organization now runs summer tournaments with more than 700 young players.

"Telling a girl she can't play baseball is a social justice issue," Justine says. "We want our girls to know their dreams matter as much as their brothers' do."

Why This Inspires

Justine's journey shows how one person's stubbornness can open doors for thousands. She earned a PhD in sports psychology to outlearn the men competing for the same coaching jobs, and now dozens of women coach professional baseball because she proved it was possible.

This August, the Women's Professional Baseball League will begin play. Justine and her team are building everything from scratch, putting players first in every decision from clubhouse design to snack offerings.

Now a 12-year-old girl who dreams of playing professional baseball doesn't have to be discouraged when someone tells her no. She can see a clear path from Little League to the pros, built by a woman who refused to quit when everyone told her to.