Baseball has long been a game defined by patience. Set against the backdrop of decreasing attention spans, America’s pastime seemed poised for a steady decline. Instead, baseball has only gained momentum. Kait Maniscalco, the creator behind “Baseball for Baddies,” identified the demand f or accessible baseball content after explaining the rules to friends at a Yankees game. “If you’ve watched baseball your entire life, it comes very easily to you and you wouldn’t think that there is an actual need for that,” she told NBC. “But for those that have no idea what they’re watching, that was very helpful.” She posted videos demystifying the sport’s abbreviations, batting average, walks and the difference between a forward and backward “K” for strikeouts.  There are no silly questions on her page. What is a balk? Why did the infield fly rule apply here? Maniscalco breaks it all down for her primarily female audience, without condescension. Baseball’s resilience can be attributed to a confluence of factors, from the introduction of the pitch clock and the corresponding tightening of game times, to the generational dominance of stars like Shohei Ohtani. Women have long been an integral part of any ballpark crowd and are playing an increasingly pivotal role in forging and narrating the sport’s renaissance. A new perspective on an old game A former college softball player, Maniscalco has created an astonishingly warm online community.  Her comment section is full of fans of rival teams congratulating one another after losses and wishing the victors luck in their postseason runs. Compared to other sports spaces, it notably lacks vitriol. She even offers “therapy” sessions on her page after each team’s season ends. “I think we view sports differently,” Maniscalco said of female baseball fans. “I will give you a prime example. The Yankees made a lot of errors in the game last night. I’m not coming online going, ‘My gosh, send them all packing,’ or bashing my head against a wall. I’m trying to be as objective and as fair as possible to both sides. I think that’s why I’ve cultivated a community where everybody is positive in the comment section.” Creating content online has brought her to the sport’s highest stage. She will be covering the World Series in Milwaukee, where Game 1 kicks off on Friday between the Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays, two franchises that have never won a title. Her goal is to create a space where women to feel at ease, whether they have been following the sport for decades or weeks. “Baseball in the past was an old man’s sport,” Maniscalco said. “It was slow. It was boring.” That reputation is fading by the day. MLB makes its pitch to women The league is paying attention. Uzma Rawn Dowler, MLB’s chief marketing officer and senior vice president of Global Corporate Partnerships, knows that women are not new to baseball.  According to Rawn Dowler, there are nearly 80 million MLB female fans in the U.S.  In 2026, MLB cited a 26% growth in female viewership across national broadcasts and 13% growth in attendance among female fans.  “We’ve always had the female community and what we’re trying to do is just grow that,” Rawn Dowler said. MLB has taken steps to “meet female fans where they are,” and identify their passion points beyond and adjacent to the sport. This involves hosting theme nights at ballparks, making baseball content available on a range of platforms and creating an atmosphere that encourages fans to come back for another game. The league is investing further in that relationship.  Its TikTok partnership gives creators access to contemporary and archival baseball footage. In May, MLB announced a partnership with women-helmed sports media company The GIST to reach female fans through newsletters, podcasts and social content. “I think that’s the beauty of what we do is we want to make sure that we’re creating experiences and content and platforms that are customized to our female fans,” Rawn Dowler said. ”We’re giving them baseball how they want to consume it, where they want to consume it, in whatever medium they want to consume.” The strategy involves focusing on the most human parts of the game. ‘How can you not be romantic about baseball?’ A famed line from the quintessential baseball film, “Moneyball,” has come to represent a sense of propulsive destiny and emotion that underscores a notoriously taxing game. Many baseball fans inherited their love of the game from a parent or grandparent who introduced them to the sport. From the electricity of postseason wins to the doldrums of regular season slumps, baseball is a source of connection and escape. After losing two close family members in 2023, Melissa Myer found comfort in the sport that she shared with her father, who died when she was 16.  She moved to Los Angeles without knowing anyone and found herself wanting to strike up conversations with anyone wearing a blue LA ball cap. “I just want someone to talk Dodgers to,” Myer recalled telling her sister at the time. That wish became “Talk Dodgers to Me,” the podcast she now hosts with Jaclyn Ruiz. Their conversations about the team, its players and the narratives underpinning them reflect an expanding lens in baseball, where women can build the sports coverage and communities they crave themselves. “I think it’s always been there,” Myer said of the Dodgers’ female fanbase. For Myer and Ruiz, the podcast was a gathering place for a group that wanted something beyond basic game recaps. “It’s always more than baseball,” Myer said. “Yes, we talk about what’s going on on the field, but we care about the people behind the player.” Ruiz sees room for fans to express their interests in fashion, statistics and more without having to fit a narrow image of a baseball enthusiast. Their community has already transcended Los Angeles.  After traveling to Tokyo for the Dodgers-Cubs series in 2024, the hosts encountered Japanese listeners, including a fan who told them he was learning English through their podcast. “It’s a different kind of sports conversation,” Myer said. ”We’re not dumbing it down at all. It’s just adding the heart to what already exists in baseball. Some people come and listen to us talk baseball, some like the story. There’s something for everybody. Whether you’ve been a fan for your whole life or you just became a fan this year, you are welcome with us.” U.S. World MLB Aug 16 Baseball world reacts to the death of Tommy John Celebrity News Aug 16 Kristen Bell's performance with Savannah Bananas baseball team was a grand slam MLB Oct 1 MLB won't play game at Grand Teton National Park, only conducted due diligence This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less