Shir: A review of 'Hardball: The Girls of Summer'

From Laura Shir at Baseball Prospectus on October 9, 2019:“Hardball: The Girls of Summer” is a love letter to women’s baseball. It’s also an educational and compelling look at the state of the game in the late 2010s. For those who follow women’s baseball closely, there is enough original material for the film to remain engaging even as it traces familiar paths; for those new to the game, the film provides sufficient background, explanation, and history to make it clear that this is a fully realized world that deserves just as much respect and interest as the men’s version of the sport. The documentary, directed by Matthew Temple and produced by Jewel Greenberg, was released online September 24th and premiered at the Women Sports Film Festival in San Francisco on September 27th. With Jessica Mendoza’s expert narration, the film introduces its main players: four of the players on the 2016 US Women’s National Team as they journey to the Women’s Baseball World Cup in South Korea. They are 1B Malaika Underwood, OF Tamara Holmes, RHP Stacy Piagno, and RHP/OF Kelsie Whitmore. Though other players are interviewed as well, the filmmakers make the strong choice to focus on these four, who have had different paths to the sport but have all represented Team USA multiple times.Read the full article here: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article/54259/a-review-of-hardball-the-girls-of-summer/Related link: Listen to Jewel Greenberg talk about Hardball on the SABR 49 Women in Baseball Panel