by John Osbron

Created on: July 30, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Should women be allowed to play in Major League Baseball? Of course they should, there is no reason to keep somebody from holding a position based on anything they were born with that they cannot control such as race, origin or sex. There is one thing and one thing alone that should determine whether or not somebody is awarded a position at a business, which is what Major League Baseball is, and that is their ability to perform their job better than the other candidates for that job.

Any person should be allowed to try for any position at any profession. However, the basis for hiring should be based solely on ability and talent. If a woman can compete on the same level as a man, if she can hit around .280 get a few home runs and be able to get enough RBI to be a productive teammate and help her team win ball games then by all means she should be hired. If a woman does not want to be confined to playing softball and thinks that she can hold her own with the men in baseball, then whose right is it to say she cannot try.

There is a reason that there are organizations such as the WNBA, the WTA, the WNFL, the WPS, or the LPGA and that is because it is a biological fact that women are typically not as strong or as fast as men. Yet there are some women who are incredibly talented athletes and are much better than their fellow women at a particular sport. Organizations like these give women the opportunity to experience professional sports and not be naturally handicapped by their naturally smaller stature. While the WNBA signifies that it is the Women's National Basketball Association, the NBA is not the MNBA, there is nothing saying that only men can play. Any player that can compete and hold his or her own at the very highest level has the opportunity to play against the rest of the best in the country. In addition there is no professional women's baseball league as the AAGPBL broke up in 1954, so if women actually want to play big league baseball, unless a new women's league is formed they will have to try out for an MLB team or their MiLB affiliate.

There have been instances in where women have tried out for men's professional sports leagues before. In 1979 Ann Meyers tried out for the Indiana Pacers basketball team. Despite the fact that she was cut from the team she was given her opportunity to try to make the big club.

Women have already made their way into the professional racing circuit with women like Danica Patrick. Given, automobile racing is hardly a sport and does not take much physical strength or athletic ability, it is still recognized as a sport and I see nothing wrong with women wanting to compete with the men. The only condition is if you want to play with the men, you must be able to compete on a level playing ground with the men.

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