Process Paper
When the United States entered World War II, many people worried it would end baseball's career (Little). When over five hundred baseball players left their team to fight in the military, Philip K. Wrigley was worried about baseball's future and that's when he founded the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (Little). “With a group of Midwestern businessmen and the financial support of Mr. Wrigley, the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) emerged in the spring of 1943” (“AAGPBL League History”). It then became a frontier in women's sports.
I chose this topic for one main reason and that is that I have played softball since I was about eight or nine. Softball has always been my favorite sport to play and every chance I get to play I take it. I have basically grown up playing softball and I think that’s why I have grown up to have so much love for the sport. There is one more reason why I chose this topic and that is that I feel so good when I am just on the field playing softball and I feel like the women in this League would have felt the same because this was their chance to finally show everybody that women can play sports like baseball and that it’s not just a man’s sport.
I first started finding research by simply just looking up the AAGPBL and finding websites that I think would give a lot of good information on this topic. Then once I found about five sources I went back and checked if they were either primary or secondary. I ended up finding two primary and about three secondary. So after that I found two of my three secondary sources I feel gave me the most information and continued to use those sources throughout all my research on this project. One website I feel gave me a lot of information was the “All-American Girls Professional Baseball League”. I also went to the Northern Indiana Historical Society Museum and looked at the AAGPBL exhibit.
I chose this category for my website because most of the pictures from the AAGPBL were taken in black and white but I also feel like it goes well with the colors I used on other parts on my website. There are some texts I colored red because one of the AAGPBLs teams uniforms were red and pink. Once I had an idea for my layout I then started putting my information into my website. I made all the text boxes with my information black then my pictures were in black and white. I made sure to keep the same color scheme throughout my whole website to make sure it went well together.
Annotated Bibliography
Primary
AAGPBL Article: AAGPBL History: Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend. https://www.aagpbl.org/articles/show/36. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.
This picture is a primary source of the AAGPBL field that they played on. This photo is used on the Process Paper & Annotated Bibliography page of the website.
AAGPBL Bonnie Baker. https://www.historymuseumsb.org/aagpbl-bonnie-baker/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.
This picture is a primary source of a 1940 game between the South Bend Blue Sox and the Racine Belles. This photo is used on the influence page of the website.
AAGPBL League History. https://www.aagpbl.org/history/league-history. Accessed 20 Jan. 2023.
This picture is a primary source of the first women signed in 1943. This photo is used on the background page of the website.
“Baseball History, American History and You.” Baseball Hall of Fame, https://baseballhall.org/baseball-history-american-history-and-you. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.
This picture is a primary source of the South Bend Blue Sox, Rochford Peaches, and Kenosha Comets uniforms. This photo is used on the timeline page of the website.
Gary Correspondent, Alex. “AAGPBL Players Were Trailblazers on the Field, in Life.”
Rockford Register Star, 25 May 2018, https://www.rrstar.com/story/sports/mlb/2018/05/25/aagpbl-players-were-trailblazers-on/12134936007/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2023.
This picture is a primary source that is of Rockford Peaches manager Bill Allington talking to his
team. This photo is used on the background page of the website.
9, KMBC. “Former Women’s Professional Baseball League Players Reunite In Kansas City.” YouTube, Video, 8 Sept. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR5x-RPtQjI. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.
This video is a primary source of many women from the AAGPBL reuniting years later. This video is used on the importance page of the website.
Macy, Sue. A Whole New Ball Game: The Story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Macmillan, 1993.
This book is a primary source that provides information about when the league first started to when it ended. This book is used on the influence and timeline page of the website.
“Women’s Baseball History Continued Long after AAGPBL Ended.” Baseball Hall of Fame, https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/short-stops/womens-baseball-history. Accessed 20 Jan. 2023.
This is a picture of five women from the League. This picture is used on the frontier page of the website.
Secondary
“AAGPBL League History”. https://www.aagpbl.org/history/league-history. Accessed 12 Oct. 2022.
This website is a secondary source that provides information about when the AAGPBL
first started to when the AAGPBL ended and the women in the league were playing
baseball after the war. It is used in the first paragraph in the process paper and in the background, Frontier, impact, and influence pages on the website.
Little, Becky. “How World War II Spurred a Decade of Women’s Pro Baseball.” HISTORY, 9 June 2021, https://www.history.com/news/womens-baseball-league-world-war-ii. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022.
This website is a secondary source that provides information about the league when it first
started all the way to when it ended. It is used in the first paragraph in the process paper and in the background, Frontier, impact, influence, and importance pages on the website.
“See the Girls in Action in These Amazing Photos of the All American Girls Baseball League.” Dusty Old Thing, 16 Aug. 2016, https://dustyoldthing.com/all-american-girls-baseball-league/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.
This picture is a secondary source of coach Dick Bass huddling with his team, the Fort Wayne Daisies. This photo is used on the impact page of the website.
Haase, Nicole. “Women’s Baseball Trailblazers Celebrate 75 Years of the AAGPBL.” SBNation.Com, 30 May 2018, https://www.sbnation.com/2018/5/30/17407798/women-baseball-trailblazers-reflect-aagpbl-75th-anniversary. Accessed 20 Jan. 2023.
These pictures are secondary sources of Sophie Kurys sliding into base and 3 women touching up their makeup before they play. The picture of Sophie Kurys is used on the homepage of the website and the photo of the three women is used on the background page of the website.
“RULES OF THE GAME.” Dirt in Their Skirts, https://theaagpbl.weebly.com/rules-of-the-game.html. Accessed 23 Jan. 2023.
These pictures are secondary sources of Doris Sams on the mound and Alma Ziegler in action. The picture of Doris Sams is used on the impact page of the website and the picture of Alma Ziegler is used on the influence page of the website.