The Ultimate Baseball Movie Before The New Women’s League Starts

Hollywood is home to an impressive slate of sports movies, and baseball is likely the sport that produces the best films. It is the home to the likes of Bull Durham, Major League, Field of Dreams, and The Sandlot. These are the classics of the genre, yet there’s one that might even be better than them all.

A League of Their Own is as good as it gets when it comes to baseball films. On top of that, there is no better time to watch it for the first time, or as a rewatch, than in 2026, thanks to the impending debut of a women’s pro league.

A League Of Their Own Is One Of The Best Baseball Movies Ever

Whether it’s through critical acclaim or how general audiences feel, A League of Their Own is an unquestioned classic baseball movie. The film sits at 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is one of the highest scores for any baseball film. Meanwhile, the audience score is at 84%.

That shows that pretty much everyone can appreciate what this film brings to the table. Longtime baseball fans love the way the film handles the actual game aspects, while non-fans can still get sucked in by the great story of women forming a sisterhood.

While it’s difficult to beat the likes of Bull Durham as the best baseball film, A League of Their Own has a strong argument for being in the conversation. It even ranks among the most beloved movies in the genre, regardless of the sport.

Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell, Bill Pullman, and more all deliver great performances. The film also boasts some incredibly quotable dialogue that has aged well and has a ton of heart behind every bit of it.

A Women’s Pro Baseball League Starts This Summer

The reason why A League of Their Own is such a great choice to watch in 2026 is the impending arrival of the Women’s Pro Baseball League. In A League Of Their Own, women take over and play pro baseball while the men are away at war.

Thankfully, that’s not a requirement for a women’s pro sports league these days. In fact, women’s sports are more popular than ever, with the WNBA, PWHL, Unrivaled, NWSL, and more all having huge years. The phrase “everyone watches women’s sports” is a thing for a reason.

The WPBL will be the fifth American pro women’s baseball league. It follows in the steps of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which is what A League of Their Own is based on. That makes it an ideal viewing ahead of the league’s debut, which is on August 1, 2026.

We Need More Movies & Shows About Women’s Sports

Anne Marie Fox / ©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection

The rise in popularity of women’s sports is just further proof that we need more movies and TV shows about it. We don’t have nearly as many as we should, which is part of why A League of Their Own stands out so much.

On the big screen, we’ve had Whip It, Bend It Like Beckham, Million Dollar Baby, Stick It, Bring It On, and I, Tonya, just to name a few. While great, they are few and far between, which is a shame.

There are even fewer shows about women’s sports and when we do get them, they’re often canceled way too soon. Netflix ended GLOW while it still had momentum, and 2016’s Pitch, about a female player in Major League Baseball, was also canned after just one season.

Even A League of Their Own got a TV adaptation on Prime in 2022 and sits at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Yet it was still one of the first victims of cancellations due to the writers’ strike. Hopefully, as women’s sports continue to gain popularity, we can get more projects like A League of Their Own consistently.

Release Date

July 1, 1992

Runtime

128 minutes

Director

Penny Marshall

• 

  Geena Davis

  Dottie Hinson (C)

•