Women’s sports have been having a moment recently, and two top MLB prospects have taken notice. Atlanta Braves pitching prospect JR Ritchie and Boston Red Sox outfield prospect Roman Anthony have decided to make a financial investment in the revamped Softball America publication.
Ritchie, who is on the mend from Tommy John surgery and told me he will be back sometime in the second half of the season, is very excited about this opportunity. He is very bullish about the upside of women’s softball, saying, “softball is such a great sport, it is fast moving, and in my opinion, it is as exciting to watch as baseball. If it reaches the right audience, it can surpass other high profile women’s sports”.
For Ritchie, this opportunity was not only something he did due to his passion for the diamond, he also saw it as an investment with big long term upside. Part of the reason for his belief in the project are its leaders, softball legends Tara Henry and Jen McIntyre. He told me that “they are two massive figures in the softball world, so being able to help give them a platform like Softball America, means the sky’s the limit for them.”
With so many Women’s sports taking off at the moment and athletes like Caitlin Clark becoming superstars with immense marketing upside, it was time for softball to step up their publicity game. The goal of this new iteration of Softball America is to do just that and help foster the growth of the sport. Having up and coming baseball stars like Ritchie and Red Sox phenom Roman Anthony on board will only help their cause.
Tara Henry, one of the leaders in this push for the new Softball America, is an iconic figure in the Softball world. She won a national championship with UCLA, as well as managing the Great Britain national Softball team. She said of Ritchie’s involvement, “He is an amazing young man. And I’m not talking about his athletic accomplishments. The moment he had an opportunity to put money into a project that helped grow this amazing game and more importantly empower women, he was fully dedicated”.
She also emphasized the need for softball to grow out of baseball’s shadow, saying, “ for a long time now softball has been looked at as baseball’s little sister. In fact to be honest, Softball America was previously, and literally tagged as Baseball America’s Sister Site. We don’t see it that way and neither does JR”.
While not being a ‘sister site’ of Baseball America, Softball America does a lot of what BA does, just on the Softball side of things. They focus on college recruiting, with in-depth rankings, provide analysis and write feature stories to raise player profiles.
Henry saw this revitalization of the site as necessary, saying “It’s a pivotal point in women’s sports, especially softball, and to be part of a talented and committed group that is dedicated to elevating the game was inspiring.”
For JR Ritchie, the Braves number four ranked prospect, 2024 will be a big year both on and off the field. He is looking to come back from Tommy John surgery and make his long awaited recovery before the end of the season and is also making a positive statement for the future of women’s sports. Once again, he is proving to be a future Braves star worth watching on and off the field.
