New York Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen have granted more than $2 million to the International Women’s Baseball Center, the nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting women’s baseball, the IWBC announced on Tuesday.
The Cohens made the donations through two charitable arms, with the Steven & Alexandra Cohen giving a $2 million grant, and the Amazin’ Mets Foundation granting $350,000.
The IWBC, which is based in Rockford, Illinois, is raising money to renovate Beyer Stadium — home of the Rockford Peaches of “A League of Their Own” fame — and build a museum dedicated to women’s baseball. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2030, but the stadium renovations are scheduled to be finished by 2026, in time to host a group stage of the Women’s Baseball World Cup.
The area around the stadium will be named Maybelle Blair Park after the IWBC founding director emeritus and a former pitcher in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The league, which operated from 1943-1954, received renewed attention after the release of “A League of Their Own,” a 1992 movie starring Geena Davis and Tom Hanks.
The IWBC has received a $2 Million grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, led by philanthropist & Mets Owner Alex Cohen, and a $350,000 grant from the Amazin’ Mets Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the New York Mets. Read the full details at iwbc.org/cohenfoundationgrant/
— International Women’s Baseball Center (@iwbc4me.bsky.social) September 9, 2025 at 1:53 PM
“Maybelle Blair is a baseball trailblazer and truly in a league of her own,” Alex Cohen said in a statement in the IWBC’s announcement. “In her honor, we are proud to support the International Women’s Baseball Center as they inspire the next generation of players and preserve the legacy of women in baseball.”
“We are deeply thankful to Alex Cohen and the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation and Amazin’ Mets Foundation for their generous donations,” IWBC CEO Dr. Kat Williams said in a statement. “Their support will make a profound and lasting impact at Beyer Stadium, Maybelle Blair Park, and throughout the Rockford community, region, nation and world. We truly appreciate their commitment to the IWBC and the future of women’s baseball, and continue our fundraising efforts to complete the entire six-acre campus and Center. We look forward to bringing the world to Rockford, Illinois.”
Steve Cohen has been the majority owner of the New York Mets since early 2021, when his purchase of the team for $2.4 billion was approved by MLB owners. At the time, the hedge fund manager was worth more than $15 billion, according to The New York Times. Forbes now estimates Cohen’s wealth at $23 billion,
(Photo of Mets owner Steve Cohen: Luke Hales / Getty Images)