In a significant first, Major League Baseball (MLB) video game “MLB The Show” will feature women players in its upcoming 2024 edition, even though women do not play in the MLB. Sony San Diego Studio, the game’s developers, revealed that MLB The Show 24 will offer the opportunity to create and control female characters in a newly revamped career mode titled “Road to the Show: Women Pave Their Way.”
The popular baseball game, expected to release on March 19, simulates the journey of a female player’s rise from minor to major league baseball. Game developers say the female player career narrative will focus on the unique challenges they encounter. In the real world, Major League Baseball only allows men to play professionally for the league. Women have traditionally played in collegiate and semi-professional softball leagues instead of playing baseball.
This ‘progressive’ addition to MLB The Show sees it aligning itself with other well-known sports video game franchises like FIFA (now EA Sports FC) and NBA 2K, which have opted to include women. The latter two games have come under fire for their decision, as women have their own professional soccer and basketball leagues in the real world.
Veronica Alvarez, manager of the USA. Baseball Women’s National Team — and a former national team player — believes this shift could confront stereotypical beliefs about gender in sports. However, Sony and MLB The Show have also come under criticism for the move. Fans of the game have said that including women makes the play more unrealistic. Others criticized Sony for caving to ‘woke’ politics.