After the United States entered World War II in 1941, many Major League Baseball players were drafted to fight overseas, causing a panic in the baseball community. It seemed there wouldn't be enough men for the upcoming season, and Major League stadiums were beginning to shut down. Luckily, a man named Philip K. Wrigley devised a plan to keep the stadiums open and preserve America's favorite pastime. Wrigley proposed creating a league of the best women's baseball and softball players to play baseball across the country until the men returned from war. The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was created as a non-profit organization in 1943, and a man named Jim Hamilton was hired to "locate and sign women from all over the U.S. and Canada" to play (1). The League invited 280 women to final tryouts on Chicago's Wrigley Field on May 17, 1943, where "60 were chosen to become the first women to ever play baseball" (2).
The AAGPBL lasted from 1943 to 1954 with varying degrees of success. At its creation, the league drew huge crowds and was immensely popular. As time passed and the war came to a close, public interest in the league began to decline due to new forms of entertainment. Due to the league's decentralization and difficulty recruiting new players, the AAGPBL played its final season in 1954 (3). |
First Spring Training, May 1943Women were tested on playing their field position, throwing, catching, running, sliding and hitting during tryouts (4). Those who were successful at tryouts were assigned to one of the four original teams: the Rockford, Illinois Peaches, the Racine, Wisconsin Belles, the South Bend, Indiana Blue Sox, or the Kenosha, Wisconsin Comets (5). The league gradually added more teams as it became more successful for a grand total of 15 teams.
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Practice Makes PerfectVideo from Spring Training in Alexandria, Virginia (7)
The 15 Teams of the AAGPBL at Its Peak (6)- The Rockford Peaches, the Racine Belles, the South Bend Blue Sox, and the Kenosha Comets (created in 1943)
-The Milwaukee Chicks and Minneapolis Millerettes (added in 1944) -The Fort Wayne Daisies and the Grand Rapids Chicks (added in 1945) -The Muskegon Lassies and Peoria Redwings (added in1946) - The Chicago Colleens and the Springfield Sallies (added in 1948) -The Kalamazoo Lassies (added in 1950) -The Battle Creek Belles (added in 1951) -The Muskegon Belles (added in 1953) |
First Spring Training, May 1943When women were signed to a team, they signed a contract stating they would have no other employment or engagements during the baseball season. This contract also negotiated their salaries, which "ranged from $45 to $85 dollars a week" (8). Today, that amount would range from $620-$1,200 a week. With these salaries, “…the players were able to enact a kind of Title IX…purchasing a pathway to higher education, professional careers, and the middle class” (12).
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1. All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc., "League History," http://www.aagpbl.org/index.cfm/pages/league/12/league-history (May 17, 2015).
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc., "AAGPBL League Teams by Season," http://www.aagpbl.org/index.cfm/teams (May 17, 2016).
7. john doe, "AAGPBL Newsreel". Youtube video, 1:02. Posted [September 2010]. https://youtu.be/kJwsUGbs4Bc.
8. All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc., "League History," http://www.aagpbl.org/index.cfm/pages/league/12/league-history (May 17, 2015).
9. All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc., "Philip K. Wrigley," http://www.aagpbl.org/index.cfm/profiles/wrigley-philip-k/911 (May 17, 2016).
10. The Women's Sports Museum, "AAGPBL Archives, " http://www.womenssportsmuseum.org/tag/aagpbl/, (May 17, 2016).
11. Ball State University, "Spring Training in Havana Cuba," http://www.bsu.edu/eft/dirtonskirts/p/_library/galleries/aagpbl/pages/springtrnhav2.html, (May 17, 2016).
12. Carol J. Pierman, "Baseball, Conduct, and True Womanhood," Women's Studies Quarterly, 2005, 69.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc., "AAGPBL League Teams by Season," http://www.aagpbl.org/index.cfm/teams (May 17, 2016).
7. john doe, "AAGPBL Newsreel". Youtube video, 1:02. Posted [September 2010]. https://youtu.be/kJwsUGbs4Bc.
8. All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc., "League History," http://www.aagpbl.org/index.cfm/pages/league/12/league-history (May 17, 2015).
9. All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc., "Philip K. Wrigley," http://www.aagpbl.org/index.cfm/profiles/wrigley-philip-k/911 (May 17, 2016).
10. The Women's Sports Museum, "AAGPBL Archives, " http://www.womenssportsmuseum.org/tag/aagpbl/, (May 17, 2016).
11. Ball State University, "Spring Training in Havana Cuba," http://www.bsu.edu/eft/dirtonskirts/p/_library/galleries/aagpbl/pages/springtrnhav2.html, (May 17, 2016).
12. Carol J. Pierman, "Baseball, Conduct, and True Womanhood," Women's Studies Quarterly, 2005, 69.