The 16th annual Congressional Women’s Softball Game took place Wednesday, bringing together a group of bipartisan women from Congress focused on one goal: beating the Bad News Babes, the press team with a years-long winning streak.
Although the Bad News Babes ultimately overtook the congressional team, the competition was friendly. The charity game raised over $670,000 for the Young Survival Coalition, a nonprofit that supports people under 40 who are diagnosed with breast cancer.
On top of the immense fundraising, what makes the CWSG so special is the way it becomes an epicenter for some of the world’s most influential women. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was in attendance, watching colleagues like New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand attempt to overcome journalists from CNN, C-SPAN and other big name broadcast networks.
One person watching from the sidelines is uniquely responsible for allowing this game to take place in the first place. The 97-year-old Maybelle Blair is an original member of the short-lived All-American Girls Baseball League and has advocated for women in sports since her first professional sports outing playing softball in California.
“I would like to say that I am so proud that we are finally waking up to the fact that girls like to play baseball,” Blair said. “It’s about time that we have a league of our own again, and that’s where I’ve worked very, very hard for. And women in sports, all sports, we need all the support that we can get. Anything I can do as long as I’m on this side of the grass, I will be doing it. And I love every bit of it.”
Blair’s advocacy extended to queer women when she came out in 2022 at the Tribeca premier of the Amazon Prime TV show “A League of Their Own,” based on the 1992 film of the same name. The rebooted show built on the stories of people like Maybelle, portraying the lives of queer women at a time when it was incredibly hard to be either of those things, let alone both.
Actress Megan Cavanagh, who played Marla Hooch in the original “A League of Their Own,” attended alongside Blair. Cavanagh has been attending the CWSG for seven years now, describing herself as “congress’s mascot.”
Cavanagh is also an active member in YSL, making this night even more special for her.
“I’m a 10-year breast cancer survivor, so this organization means a lot to me,” Cavanagh said. “I’m very privileged to be a part of YSC and the great work that they’re doing and the money they’re raising.”
The CWSG brings attendees from as near as the same neighborhood to as far as Europe. Ambassador of Ireland Geraldine Byrne Nason attended for her second year in a row, saying she “absolutely loves it.”
“I’m here for fun,” Nason said. “I’m here to see all the women that I meet in the House of Congress, and I’m here showing that Ireland’s on this side of the pitch.”
Ultimately, the CWSG is about bringing people together regardless of which team wins or loses, according to Oregon Representative Val Hoyle. The freshman congressman was also a rookie player this year, but still had insights into the importance of the event and bringing people from across the aisle together on one team.
“Women in the House, Senate, Democrats and Republicans; I think building that kind of camaraderie is so important,” Hoyle said. “Highlighting women’s sports is so important … Some of us aren’t very good, some of us are really good, but it’s really, really good and important at this point in time.”
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