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Pitch

2016
Posted By Monica Nawrot

Genevieve "Ginny" Baker is the first woman to play in the MLB. She must learn to balance other’s expectations all while living up to her own.

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About Pitch

Pitch follows the story of Genevieve "Ginny" Baker, a rookie pitcher in the MLB. The one thing that makes this journey so unique is that she is the first woman to ever play in this league. After spending five years in the minors, her manager, Amelia Slater, believes she is ready for the big leagues. Playing for the San Diego Padres Ginny is set to make her debut, much to the delight of the team’s owner, Frank Reid. Unfortunately he sees Ginny as less than a player and more as a way to gain more media attention and make more money. After her abysmal debut Ginny begins to doubt her capabilities. This is only made worse by her team-mates who think she only made the team as a way of selling more tickets, and the media who begin to question her validity on the team. Ginny must learn to balance the expectations of herself, and others, all while learning how to navigate her new found fame. 

Pitch's Relation To Sport Business

Pitch hits a few different concepts and trends in the sport industry. The most obvious one being gender. Ginny’s presence on the team is a major point of contention with many, including her own teammates, wondering if she is only there as a PR stunt. With eyes of the sport’s world focused solely on her and the stress building lead to a terrible debut in which she didn’t record a single out. The show also features several episodes based on issues females, especially those in Ginny’s position, face. For example in the second episode of the series Al Luongo, the Padres manager, is caught on video saying misogynistic comments about Ginny. Unfortunately there was nothing Ginny could do as she already faces so much scrutiny from the media and her own team. 

Pitch also puts a focus on Ginny’s transition from being a minor leaguer to the big leagues. With a media storm following a new and hopefully future star, this is the reality for many athletes. However, most don’t deal with the misogyny Ginny endured. 

PitchSport Industry Areas Touched

Related Industry Trends

Pitch Industry Endorsements

Pitch has been suggested to us by sport industry professionals we talk to on a regular basis. See a list of those individuals below.

 Industry Professional  Organization  Position
Jennifer Blatt Women's Sports School Founder
Dana Bookman Canadian Girls Baseball Founder and CEO
Danelle Winfield Los Angeles Sparks Senior Director of Game Operations, Entertainment & Promotions

Why watch Pitch?

There are plenty of reasons as to why you should watch Pitch. For starters, you get a closer look at an actual stadium of a professional baseball team. The San Diego Padres who play at Petco Park granted special access and let cameras into the stadium, giving viewers a glimpse into the park and locker room. Pitch also acquired a license from the MLB to use the official jerseys, making it the show that much more realistic. 

Now if that’s not good enough for you maybe the storyline is. Everyone loves the idea of the underdog story. Especially, because it is such a rarity in sports. Most often it is the biggest, most successful and richest teams that make it to the top of the league standings or the finals year after year. In Ginny’s case, by joining a professional sports team after being in the minors for years is already her underdog dream come true. However, when she does make it to the big league’s reality hits her like a 100 mph fastball as she must learn to deal with the mounting pressure of being a professional athlete.

Trailer & Extras

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