SHE'S A PINBALL WIZARD

Pittsburgh Women’s Pinball League flips off misogyny with supportive play

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

AT 7:30 P.M. on a Monday night in February, the doors of Kickback are closed for the day. Despite this, the inside of the Lawrenceville pinball cafe buzzes with activity as members of the Pittsburgh Women’s Pinball League take over the various machines.

Women and femme-identifying members drift in and head straight into the fray of constantly clicking flippers and flashing displays activated by well-played balls. Overseeing the action are two league officials, AJ Replogle and Rachel Schmitz, who greet players, collect fees, and ensure that everyone signs in.

The evening marks yet another night of play as members near the league finals taking place on Sat., April 1 at the Bellevue-based Pittsburgh Pinball Dojo Starting in late January, the league, which is now in its 19 th season, plays over the course of nine weeks.

Claims that the league has grown are borne out apparent as the room becomes increasingly packed.

“We’re getting 30 women a night here,” says player Erin Kelly. “It used to be maybe 10 people per night.”

The reason for the growth, compared to the open Pittsburgh Pinball League, which welcomes men and women, could be attributed to any number of factors, from wanting to take advantage of the city’s vibrant pinball scene, to looking for a sense of community, especially after years of pandemic isolation.

For longtime pinball enthusiast, artist, and PWPL member Nikki Burfield, the answer is clear.

“Right now, there’s a huge shift into women’s pinball because honestly men are fucking assholes,” she says.

Burfield says she was instrumental in building Pittsburgh’s competitive pinball scene, and even integrates the pastime into her art by converting salvaged pinball machines into sculpture works.

PITTSBURGH WOMEN’S PINBALL LEAGUE

facebook.com/groups/boppl or boppl.league.papa.org

While Burfield acknowledges that sexism has long existed in the open league, she says it became more amplified after she came out as a trans woman.

“This is very typical white male privilege bullshit and I’m seeing it now for the first time in its entirety being on this side of the coin,” says Burfield, adding that she officially began taking hormone treatments in January 2022.

Replogle says the intention for PWPL was “to try to find a space where women could come play and not feel harassed.”

The issue extends beyond Pittsburgh. A 2017 Washington Post article found that as competitive pinball has grown across the country and the world, female players claim to have experienced sexism from their male counterparts. As a result, women-only leagues were created to provide a space where members could play without incident. Belles & Chimes, a California-based entity touted as the world’s first women-only pinball league, formed in 2013, and others have followed suit.

Burfield says the “misogyny” and “machismo” she experienced drove her entirely away from pinball. Over the pandemic, however, pinball became a source of solace where she felt she could finally live as her true self. She recalls how late night games at Helicon, a brewery and pinball arcade in Oakdale, became the one of the few places where she “was allowed to go dressed as Nikki.”

Then a friend turned her on to PWPL, where she says the vibe differed from the open leagues to which Burfield was accustomed.

“And I was like, holy shit, this is so much fun and the women are so fucking nice,” she says. “And we always help each other out. You know, at the end of the game, if someone’s completely lost, I’ll say, well, here’s what we’re doing.”

PWPL member Allison Thrower has played in the league for about six years, and agrees that members are more concerned with being supportive than trouncing one another.

“I would say it’s an environment that fosters education as opposed to just straight competition,” she adds. “It is definitely a safe space as opposed to the co-ed league.”

Replogle also sees the league as a gateway for women, especially new players, to gain the skills and