Mari Kryder '00
History Teacher: Tim Kelley
Sources: http://www.dlcwest.com/~smudge/history.html
A Whole New Ball Game: The Story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League by Sue Macy
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was organized by Philip K. Wrigley, a chewing-gum tycoon, in 1943 in an attempt to save American baseball. The men's baseball leagues were losing thousands of players to the war cause, and owners feared that they would have to close the league due to lack of numbers. Wrigley organized four teams in the central United States of girls in their early twenties. A total of sixty girls were chosen for the original league. Although parents and society frowned on the "unladylike" activities of the sport, girls saw it as their chance to visit exciting places, get off their farms, and earn more money than their fathers were ($45 per week).
The league officials tried to maintain the girls' image as ladies, organizing chaperones for each team, charm school, and outfits that compromised fashion and function. Common baseball attributes like stealing bases and foul language were abolished, and girls were not allowed to go to bat without lipstick on.
However, the girls of the league were concerned with playing a good game, not with primping their hair. Injuries were common and games were competitive and exciting.
The league, which started with only four teams, lasted from 1943 until 1954, when it had to be shut down due to lack of popularity.