The Realest teams up with the WPBL for a series dedicated to women’s baseball

The GIST: There’s nothing more American than baseball (cards), right? That’s the idea behind sports authentication platform The Realest’s new partnership with the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL). Together, they will launch and develop the first officially licensed trading card program for an active pro women’s baseball league in the U.S..

• To be fair, it’s the first time anyone’s had this chance in a while — the WPBL is the first pro women’s baseball league since 1954. But the partnership does signal two things: An increased interest in women’s baseball, and the unique opportunity for the sport to make its own mark on baseball’s trading card culture.

The details: The cards will cover the league’s inaugural season — which begins August 1st — with cards featuring top players, action shots, and authentic game equipment. Additionally, The Realest will work with the WPBL to gather and authenticate game-used items like baseballs, jerseys, and even field dirt, which will be auctioned on the platform.

The landscape: Baseball cards are perhaps the most iconic aspect of memorabilia culture, but recently we’ve seen trading cards get popular across women’s sports, too. The WPBL is a new league, but this co-sign from The Realest shows there’s a big opportunity here for baseball fans.

• And the WPBL comes at an interesting time: Beyond women’s baseball, softball is also surging as two new pro leagues begin play — one that MLB chose to invest in over the WPBL. This is likely because softball is more established in terms of popularity and talent, but the WPBL clearly has growth potential.

The takeaway: According to The Realest, niche sports communities, especially in women’s sports, have been incredibly active in the memorabilia space. This partnership is a low lift with a huge potential payoff among a fanbase that’s been hungry for it.

• And for the WPBL, this is a unique branding opportunity to differentiate itself from softball. As an emerging league, it’s important for the WPBL to land sponsors that bolster its standing: It’s previously partnered with Dick’s Sporting Goods, Fremantle, and the Boston Red Sox. Everything helps in the wind-up to its first pitch.