(KTLA) – After 95 years, a baseball legend is revealing her authentic self.
Maybelle Blair, the inspiration behind the film and upcoming Amazon Prime series “A League of Their Own,” came out publicly for the first time. She spoke about her sexuality while at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival for the screening of the series.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for these young girl ball players to come realize that they’re not alone and you don’t have to hide,” Blair said. “I hid for 75, 85 years, and this is actually basically the first time I’ve ever come out.”
Blair’s announcement was met with applause and cheers.
The video was tweeted to the series’ account. “For the majority of her life, sports legend 95-year old @AAGPBL player, Maybelle Blair felt like she had to hide her authentic self,” the tweet read. “Today she came out publicly for the first time. We couldn’t be happier for her, and continue to push for love and acceptance on and off the field.”
Blair was a pitcher and played for the Peoria Redwings of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. According to the league’s website, she played for one season in 1948. She then left the following year to play professional softball in Chicago.
However, she continued to be involved some time later. “She co-chaired AAGPBL-PA reunions in the Palm Springs area along with Shirley Burkovich,” the league said. “Maybelle also served on the Board of Directors and was Chair of the Fundraising Committee.”
The women’s league gained worldwide attention in the 1992 film “A League of Their Own,” which was directed by Penny Marshall. The movie followed the fictional Rockford Peaches and starred Tom Hanks, Madonna, Geena Davis, Lori Petty and Jon Lovitz among other big names.
Hanks’ famous line in the film “There’s no crying in baseball!” was ranked 54th on the American Film Institute’s list AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movie Quotes.
The new “A League of Their Own” series was co-created by Will Graham and Abbi Jacobson. Jacobson of “Broad City” also stars in the show. The series also includes Chanté Adams, D’Arcy Carden, and Roberta Colindrez.
“A League of Their Own” the series premieres on Amazon Prime on August 12.