Confession time. I have been trying to write this article for weeks now. I would go to my computer and type up my thoughts, but I could never hit the publish button because I didn’t say what I wanted to say. It began with a strong retort of the pseudo cheerleaders from the Houston Astros, girls in tight white costumes dancing around and handing out prizes as some sort of ambASSador for the Astros.

I am not offended by cheerleading. Turn on ESPN, and you can see some real athletic skill, but these AmbASSadors are not cheerleaders, but a reminder that MLB and the owners have forgotten one very important fact: Women are half the fan base of Major League Baseball. Now, I don’t have the exact numbers, but you get a group of people, and chances are half of the group are going to be women. A family of four, a company outing, a group of college students, half of those are going to be women.

Now let’s take a trip to the MLB store, where the lack of consideration is huge when it comes to the merchandise available to women.  Now, the current trend is to have a woman’s jersey be shorter and tighter. While I like the feel of a man’s jersey on me, I understand, and my female friends have said they prefer this style. But I think we can all agree that when it comes to other things offered by MLB, clearly, no one asked a woman or thought of what a woman wanted to wear or purchase.

There are some wonderful things to buy. A Dooney and Bourke purse. Yes, I have a thing for purses, and I really, really want one. This is a definite plus for me, but then the negative.

The image of this pops on the screen. 

This tiny piece of fabric with the Texas  Rangers logo can be yours for $34.99. Or if you are into thongs, they have something for you as well.

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I go to the man’s side to see if there is something for Channing Tatum’s character Magic Mike, but all that is is the very tame boxer shorts.

And last and certainly not least, let’s thank MLB for perpetuating the ideal woman image. In the swimwear, get a little Ranger T and  A.

Now, in a moment of fairness, MLB did a little ideal image on the male side of swimwear. 

However, this is available in sizes up to 4X, while the itty bitty bikini is only available up to a large.

It is simply time for MLB to be aware about the women in the stands. Many women I have come to know are real baseball fans. They know players and the game of baseball. We want to celebrate our team, but not have bouncing boobs or asses in our faces. Also, when we come to a game, not being made fun of. Last year, a group of  sorority girls came to an Arizona Diamondbacks game and were selfie shamed by guys in the press box. These ladies full of class turned down free tickets for themselves and instead asked that the tickets be given to a charity that help victims of domestic violence.

Again, what MLB and owners and, in this case, guys in the press box are forgetting is that these are potential long-term fans, paying money to see the game, buying merchandise and food.  While I am not negating their wonderful charity act, if it was me and my friends and we were treated this way, I wouldn’t go back.

MLB needs to show respect and consideration to the female fan’s needs and wants. This is our game, too.