The inaugural game of the Women’s Pro Baseball League kicked off this weekend with a national anthem performance that quickly became the talk of social media for all the wrong reasons.
Motown legend Martha Reeves and two other women delivered a now-viral rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” that left many in the crowd and on social media stunned.
The league’s first professional game in nearly three decades featured the Los Angeles Queens defeating the New York Heights 10-8 at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois.
Unfortunately, the pregame ceremony overshadowed the game itself because of the anthem’s unhinged delivery.
WATCH:
Absolutely nothing could have prepared me for the national anthem at the first Women’s Pro Baseball League tonight pic.twitter.com/3lEYRYNQTi
— Kendall Baker (@kendallbaker) August 2, 2026
“Absolutely nothing could have prepared me for the national anthem at the first Women’s Pro Baseball League tonight,” sports reporter Kendall Baker wrote in a viral post on X.
The video was viewed nearly two million times on X alone by Sunday morning.
Reeves, 85, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee best known as the lead singer of Martha and the Vandellas, led the group in the brutal performance.
Outkick reports:
Mo’ne Davis may have been the most recognizable face on the field. Davis, who captured the hearts and minds of sports fans during the Little League World Series in 2014, started in center field for the Queens. She managed to cross the plate once in Los Angeles’ win.
Queens left fielder and pitcher Maggie Foxx, was 2-for-2 with two RBI. She also struck out two batters.
“When I walked on the field I started crying because of how much this moment meant, and how much it meant to everybody,” she said. “It means everything to us.”
Heights catcher Denae Benites was 4-for-4 with two RBI on the evening. She spoke about 99-year-old Maybelle Blair throwing out the first pitch. Blair played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which ran from 1943 to 1954 and inspired “A League of Their Own.”
“I think that’s pretty incredible,” Benites said. “Maybelle’s been sticking with us since the beginning of this journey. She’s paved a path for us, really. … She’s a special person and I’m so happy that she got to make it out here and do that today.”
Reeves has not yet publicly responded to the reaction to her performance.
The Women’s Pro Baseball League continues its inaugural season with additional games scheduled in the coming days as it attempts to revive professional women’s baseball in the United States.
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