Natasha Watley was a four-time All-American shortstop for the UCLA Bruins, where she led them to a national championship in 2003. She was the first African-American female to be named to the Olympic softball team in the 2004 Athens Olympics, securing the gold for Team USA. Now, a seven-time retired pro all-star, Watley is a Youth Softball Ambassador for MLB. In her role, she supports MLB’s initiatives and strategies designed to grow both baseball and softball at the youth level.
Q: How do you think the game has evolved in the past few years?
A: Collegiately, they’ve broken through the glass of exposure with us being on ESPN has been great. There’s so much thatap growing, but that last step is the pro league. That last level of exposure is the pro stage. Until we can break through that, I can say that we’ve made it. Until then, I can’t say that we’ve made it yet.
Q: Whatap your perspective on the name, image and likeness rules that the NCAA recently just passed?
A: I actually have mixed thoughts on it. The NCAA is a big, multi-million dollar company that makes money and I love that they are sharing the wealth and want athletes to cash in on that. But also too, I love the purity in a college athlete of money not being part of the equation, just the love for the game. College for me was a time that I really matured. It was a time that if you threw money into the equation, things could’ve got lost in terms of finding myself.
Q: Female representation in baseball has grown immensely through hires such as the Miami Marlins’ general manager Kim Ng, the San Francisco Giants’ assistant coach Alyssa Nakken and others. How important is having female representation in softball and baseball for young girls?
A: The world is evolving and the times are different now. It’s so important to put women in these positions because who is to say that women can’t to the same job, or do a better job, than a man. Any dad who’s raising a daughter wants to raise his daughter to know that she’s equal to her male counterpart. I think it’s important to have that representation of women in high roles, whether that’s in coaching or in front offices.
Q: What do you say to those who believe in the stereotype that baseball is solely for men, not women?
A: I think sports are genderless. It should be genderless. Sports are about skills, fundamentals, mechanics, attitude, it shouldn’t matter if a sport is for men or if it’s for women. Our world is evolving. Young girls aspiring to be baseball players? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. There was a time where I felt guilty for idolizing the Atlanta Braves because I didn’t have anyone to look up to. It’s important that girls and boys dream what they want to dream, be who they want to be and do whatever they want to do.
