From Pages to Pitches: Philly’s Book Club Takes to the Ballpark
Catherine Smith was not looking to start a club.
She was looking at a dusty bookshelf.
Last winter, she was half-heartedly cleaning off her bookshelf when the 39-year-old travel writer noticed Girls of Summer, a book her mother had given her a few years earlier about the original All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. A new women’s professional baseball league was scheduled to begin, and Smith, who has been going to Phillies games with her dad since she was 10, thought she should finally read the book.
She just wished she had other women who loved books and baseball to share the experience.
“I just had this silly thought: like, what if we combined a book club with a tailgate?” she said. “I've rarely been in a book club, and I have never actually tailgated, so that's the irony of this whole thing.”
Smith posted the wishful thought on Threads, where she had been talking with other women about getting together for Phillies games. It got some traction, so she created a Google Form to gauge interest, ask what books people wanted to read, and find out which games they wanted to attend.
Within days, dozens of women—mostly strangers—responded. So Smith created another survey to help select the books, and pick dates and ticket price ranges. Then they started sending money. That’s when Smith knew her wishful thought would become reality.
It took a couple of months to organize, but the group became “Books and Banter at the Bank”—with a plan to meet before Phillies games at Citizens Bank Park. (Soon to be “Books and Banter at the Ballpark” due to possible stadium name changes and national gatherings.)
Philly isn’t the only town bringing bases and books together. The Atlanta Braves had a book night earlier this month, and the Washington Nationals team has its own book club (last year they were reading J.R.R. Tolkien).
And there have been many sightings of book fans at sports events. One Phillies fan reading Rosie Walsh’s One Day You Were My Husband went viral, and it made the author’s day. Sarah Jessica Parker still gets asked about reading Maggie Shipstead’s book Astonish Me at a Rangers game in 2015. (“That seems like the perfect place to read,” Parker said.)
For Smith’s group, the first book club was more of a “meet and greet” to see if the idea would hold. It took place on the Sunday of opening weekend, and about 25 women (and a couple of stray husbands) met at “Oogies,” a sandwich shop located in the stadium parking lot.
The following month, Smith hosted a brunch at her home before an away game. The group discussed The All American by Susie Finkbeiner, a novel about two sisters in the 1950s, one of whom wants to play baseball. Finkbeiner became part of the group's discussion after seeing Smith's post about the book, and sent videos answering the club’s questions about her writing process, inspiration and book recommendations.
Since then, the women have continued meeting for Phillies games every month, with a book discussion every other month. Smith said the goal was to make it casual enough that newcomers would feel welcome—even if they hadn’t read the book—but consistent enough that people could make real connections.
“We have people who have been at every, if not almost every game, and then we have had new people every time, and it is so cool,” she said.
Now the group has more than 2,200 social media followers, and about 450 signed up for game information, Smith said. The age range is vast, from those in their 20s to those in their 70s, and draws fans beyond the Philadelphia area.
Smith recently traveled with another member to Illinois to attend the playoffs of the new women's professional baseball league. Members have come from Maryland, Delaware and New York. One member who lives in Brooklyn has attended Phillies games with the group twice, and now the group is headed to New York for a Mets game.
“One of the ladies and I, we flew out to Chicago and drove to Springfield, Illinois, where the women's league playoffs were, and took a weekend trip,” Smith said. “I'm thinking—six months ago, I didn't know you, but we just had the best time.”
The relationships have become an important part of the group. Some members have connected outside of games, while others have arrived alone and found people to sit with. Members can talk during games or focus on baseball. One day, they had a session on how to keep score, as several participants had never learned.
Smith is now planning for the group to expand. She hopes to move to more accessible seating next year and is working with her partner, a software developer, on an app for the community. She also wants to create digital book discussions for women who cannot attend Phillies games in person.
What began with a book on a dusty shelf has grown into something Smith never expected.
“It has turned into such an incredible community,” she said. “I just step back and watch and let it happen.”
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