Burn the Ships

https://sites.google.com/site/softballnationalnews/past-present/women-s-pro-softball---burn-the-ships/IMG_6881.JPG

Women's professional softball has endured a tumultuous journey in search of security in a male sports-crazed society. Players in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league are among the best in the world at their craft, yet they are overlooked and under appreciated compared with their male counterparts. Poor player retention and limited league expansion are just some of the obstacles the league has faced since its inception. Forty years earlier, these were some of the same challenges faced by the first women's professional softball league (IWPS). These challenges remain virtually unchanged and yet the NPF presses on.

Burn the Ships is a documentary film featuring a year in the life of Akron Racers players and front office members. The film chronicles the journey and hardships of American women's professional softball's oldest franchise - specifically through the eyes of co-owner Joey Arrietta - during its quest for its second NPF title in 2015. Arrietta has been the driving force behind the Racers' organization since the team's founding in 1999. Whether faced by an opposing team or the threat of retirement forced upon them far too soon, the Racers possess the same passion exhibited throughout the league's history. They are committed to the sport they love and willing to sacrifice the spoils of a comfortable life in order to achieve the glory on the field.

The film was released in 2017. You can purchase the film on Amazon.com or on iTunes at https://itun.es/us/G4ZIkb. The official trailer can be viewed below.