The_League_Years
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The League Years

Impact

Bibliography

"They looked at you kinda funny, you know, why weren't you in the kitchen? And were you really a ball player? The image was not that great." - Pepper Paire Davis, a catcher and infielder who played in the AAGPBL from 1944 through 1953.

Kenosha Comets, 1943, Wikipedia

Rockford Peaches, 1943, AAGPBL

South Bend Blue Sox, 1945, AAGPBL

Racine Belles, 1942, AAGPBL

The Minneapolis Journal of March 17, 1906 announced the start of the women’s baseball season at the University of Minnesota.          “Girls Will Indulge in National Game."

As World War ll raged and more American men were being drafted, membership on major league and minor league baseball teams were dropping. Philip K. Wrigley, an American chewing gum manufacturer and executive in Major League Baseball, then came up with the idea for women to entertain the public and distract others from the war by playing baseball. Philip K.Wrigley was one of the main organizers to the start of The All American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). He also fought for the women's rights by running advertisment  campaigns. 


                 Pregame formation, 1943, AAGPBL

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In the 1940’s the main organized sport for women was softball. The rules were different in baseball and softball, so the women had to get used to the rule change. Some rule changes were the base length, also in softball there were ten players on the field as in baseball there is only nine. There were many more differences but women still overcome the struggles and played the game well.


Philip K. Wrigley, 1943, baseballhall