My guest is AJ Richards the founder of Women Belong in Baseball which was formed in 2015 to support, encourage, and advocate for girls and women in all aspects of baseball including playing, front office, coaching, scouting, umpiring, managing and journalism/media. AJ Richard grew up an avid baseball fan and dreamed of playing 3B for the Chicago Cubs. In 9th grade an English teacher told her to write an essay about what she wanted to be when she grew up. She wrote about being an MLB manager. The teacher told her she couldn’t do that because she’s a girl eventually she lost interest in baseball. Years later a friend told her about Jackie Mitchell, a 17 year-old woman who struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in succession in an exhibition game. This made AJ realize Women do belong in baseball so she wanted to spread the word about the women trail blazers and the opportunities that are available for girls and women in baseball so she established a social media presence for Women Belong in Baseball. AJ is a self described scholar, activist, and advocate currently finishing her master’s thesis “I Was a Trail  Blazer”: The Baseball Playing Experiences of Girls.”
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