Baseball’s past and future collide in MLB The Show 24, as the franchise breaks new ground by letting players create and guide a female ballplayer through a unique, evolving career-spotlighting the trailblazers of yesterday and inspiring the stars of tomorrow.
Over the last few years, sports sims have started to make strides towards not just being accurate recreations of professional athletics, but playable documentaries that examine the legacies of star players and historic moments. Of the big annual sports franchises, Sony San Diego Studio’s MLB The Show is rapidly becoming the most interesting – the studio is following up its tremendous Storylines mode about baseball’s Negro Leagues with a new career mode centered on women.
Called Road to the Show: Women Pave Their Way, the mode is effectively a second Road to the Show campaign, with all of the career mode’s features in addition to “a unique-to-women storyline following a lifelong friendship as it develops in professional baseball.”
That last bit, according to narrative designer Mollie Braley, is important. It’s not enough, she argues in a promo interview at the PlayStation Blog, to merely add women to The Show’s career mode, but to illustrate “the immense importance of community and support amongst the small but ever-growing group of women in baseball.”
To that end, the women players create in the mode will have a buddy character named Mia Lewis, a childhood friend and fellow baseball player who will function as “a sounding board, a support system, and a competitive player in her own right, and your relationship with her in-game will grow and evolve throughout your career.”
In addition to Women Pave Their Way, MLB The Show 24 will also bring a second season of its Storylines mode featuring the Negro Leagues that Twitter – “the first woman to play professional baseball regularly in a major men’s professional baseball league.”
While they still aren’t getting the massive marketing push that their male counterparts have received in annual sports games for decades, women are increasingly becoming a core part of the sports sim experience. NBA 2K and FIFA follow-up franchise EA FC both feature women in their games, and 2K’s last three releases have come with alternate WNBA cover stars. MLB The Show 24, however, feels unique in the considered and thoughtful way it’s starting to round out its excellent baseball sim with narrative modes that engage with both the past and future of the sport.
How does MLB The Show 24 honor women’s history in baseball
MLB The Show 24 honors women’s history in baseball by introducing “Road to the Show: Women Pave Their Way,” a groundbreaking mode that allows players to create and play as a female ballplayer for the first time in the series. This mode features a unique, narrative-driven career path inspired by real-life trailblazers such as Toni Stone-the first woman to play in a professional male baseball league-and Kelsie Whitmore, the first female player in an MLB Partnered League.
The storyline not only mirrors the challenges and triumphs women have faced in baseball but also includes a personalized journey, highlighting the strength, resilience, and lifelong friendships that develop in the sport. Developers collaborated with figures like Whitmore and narrative designer Mollie Braley to ensure authenticity and to spotlight the significant contributions of women throughout baseball history.
By weaving these stories and experiences into gameplay, MLB The Show 24 both educates and inspires, celebrating the past achievements of women in baseball while encouraging future generations to see themselves in the sport.
How does the game highlight women’s contributions to baseball history
MLB The Show 24 highlights women’s contributions to baseball history by introducing a dedicated story mode, “Road to the Show: Women Pave Their Way,” which allows players to create and guide a female ballplayer through a unique career inspired by real-life pioneers. This narrative-driven experience draws from the stories of trailblazers like Toni Stone and Kelsie Whitmore, reflecting the challenges and achievements of women who broke barriers in the sport.
The game’s approach goes beyond simple representation; it educates players about the historical impact of women in baseball, mirroring the real-world legacy of figures such as those in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and early icons like Lizzie Arlington and Dottie Kamenshek. By weaving these stories into gameplay, MLB The Show 24 celebrates both the historical and ongoing influence of women in baseball, ensuring their contributions are recognized and inspiring a new generation of fans and athletes.
