Has Korean women's baseball ever received more attention. Three South Korean players are actively playing in the U.S. Women's Professional Baseball League (WPBL), which has been revived for the first time in 72 years. New York Heights pitcher Kim Ra-kyung started the historic opener. Infielder Park Joo-ah and catcher Kim Hyun-ah play central hitters for the San Francisco Firebels and Boston Hunters, respectively. Baseball fans are showing a lot of interest as three WPBL leaguers were born in Korea, a barren place for women's baseball. When it was reported that the WPBL would hold the draft in March last year, not many expected the nomination of Korean players. This is because there were no professional or business teams in Korea where female baseball players could play. However, Kim Ra-kyung, Park Joo-ah and Kim Hyun-ah survived the competition with some 600 people from all over the world.

The process of becoming professional players in Korea, where they do not have a place to train, let alone a professional and business team, was difficult. The three players who were interviewed before the opening of the WPBL said it was common to travel for as little as three hours to as much as six hours to train for an hour.

He also fought an uncertain future. The poor reality of female baseball players can be seen at once by looking at the players registered in the baseball event of the Korea Sports Association. Of the 15,196 registered student athletes this year, only 89 are female athletes. The biggest problem is the university department, which has zero registered players. Many players are quitting baseball because there are no college teams that can continue their sports after graduating from high school. Nevertheless, Kim Ra-kyung, Park Joo-ah, and Kim Hyun-ah did not give up. The three players, who both studied and exercised, worked part-time at a distribution center and a chicken restaurant when they needed expenses to play baseball. He also went anywhere in the country if there was a place to play or train.

Those who focused on what they could change rather than blaming the bad environment continued to head to the bare ground. The result of the effort was sweet. The three players, who continued to challenge themselves to overcome the wall of reality while eating teary bread, finally tasted the joy of becoming professional athletes.

A trio of South Koreans in the WPBL proved with the results that the environment does not determine the size of dreams. He showed that nothing is impossible if there is a strong will to achieve something. Women's golf and women's volleyball, which are currently representative professional sports in Korea, were not popular from the beginning. As pioneers like Pak Se-ri showed promise on the world stage, attention began to focus. Since then, investment has continued, and a system has been created for other players to grow and compete.

In order for the three players not to be a one-off performance, the environment of Korean women's baseball must be changed. First of all, there should be a training ground where student-athletes can freely concentrate on their sports. On top of that, if a professional and unemployment team is established and the foundation to continue his career even after he becomes an adult, the heyday of Korean women's baseball can come.

In order not to lose the hard-won opportunity in vain, it is also necessary to steadily overhaul policies and find sponsors who will draw the future together. There is a saying that you have to row when the water comes in. Now is the time when interest and expectations for women's baseball are rising, and it is time for the sports community to join forces to lead the revival of women's baseball.

[Lim Jungwoo, a reporter from Culture and Sports Department]