Imagine for a moment you're an incredibly talented and skilled 17 year old pitcher.
You dominated little league, throwing two perfect games.
You went over five years without losing a single game.
In high school, pitching in a tough league that takes many to college and the majors, you continue to destroy the competition: A perfect record, an ERA under 1.00(!), and a 4-1 strike out to walk ratio. Your team has won every game you've pitched in.
You should be preparing for the MLB draft in June, or perhaps getting ready for a college scholarship.
But the scouts are completely ignoring you. And no college program has made you an offer. So what's going on? No one can deny your talent, so why isn't aren't scouts and college programs jumping at the chance to sign you.
Oh, I forgot to tell you. You're a female pitcher. That's right, you're Chelsea Baker!
At a time when the next leader of the free world will likely be female, when a growing (though still too low) number of Fortune 500 CEOs and political leaders are women, professional sports remains the last bastion of male supremacy. In the sport I love, major league baseball, not one single woman is a field manager, general manager, or umpire, much less a player.
This has to change!
No girl should grow up believing whole industries are out of reach merely because of her gender. Chelsea Baker does not want to be given a chance because of her gender, just not passed over for a position for less talented males because of gender discrimination.
That's where Kossacks can come in. I'm sure some of you have connections to Major League Baseball, or to college sports programs (or you know how to raise a stink!). Talk to people, spread the word. Chelsea Baker is a determined, extremely talented young person. She throws one of the toughest pitches to hit, the knuckleball, and throws it brilliantly (she was taught by the late great Joe Niekro!) She deserves an opportunity, a college scholarship, a chance in the minors. And maybe, just maybe, with the right training and a chance to fully develop, Chelsea Baker could become the first woman to play major league baseball. let's all work to give her that chance.
To Learn more about Chelsea Baker and her incredible skills, there are a lot of a good resources. Here is a recent article in Sports Illustrated. Also, check out this video from her high school
Finally, here's a video of her throwing batting practice to the Tampa Bay Rays last year!
For all the girls of America, let's speak out. By giving Chelsea Baker a real opportunity to succeed, it will inspire girls everywhere to not give up on their dreams, whether those dreams are to lead the nation into the future, or lead the Cubs to their first championship since 1908!