Philip Wrigley and the Creation of the All-American Girls. Baseball League: Izzie Horwath. Paper Category. Junior Division.

Transcription

1 Philip Wrigley and the Creation of the All-American Girls Baseball League: Izzie Horwath Paper Category Junior Division 2,000 words

2 In 1942, Philip Wrigley(owner of the Chicago Cubs and the president of the William Wrigley Jr. Chewing Gum Company)came up with the idea to start the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League(AAGPBL). World War II was occurring at the time and most of the men had been recruited to join the military. Because of this, numerous men s baseball leagues were endangered of folding. Wrigley took a stand to start a women s professional baseball league so the baseball parks would remain open and ready for when the men returned from war. In doing so, he promoted women s overall sports participation. During the war, while most of the men were gone fighting for our country, lots of jobs began to open up for women. In addition, a cartoon character came out that was called Rosie the Riveter. This cartoon became very inspiring for women to show what they could do and what they were capable of. 1 This is a picture of Rosie the Riveter. 1 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Philip K. Wrigley AAGPBL Player/Profile, AAGPBL Player Association, 2005, 1

3 However, there were still many that thought women didn t have enough skill for playing baseball. They assumed that women should just stick to easier jobs or stay at home and let men handle the rest. Some people even thought that girls playing baseball wasn t essential and it didn t help war effort at all. Much of the audience only came to the games because they wanted to make fun of them, but once they saw how well they played, they couldn t stop watching. For instance, Dotty Kamenshek claimed, "At first they came to see the girls, but we won them over with good baseball. Once they saw how well we played ball, they were hooked. Philip Wrigley had the opposite view. He had faith that women could take on much more responsibility when it came to jobs. For instance, Wrigley stated, World War I showed to the world for the first time on a large scale what women could and did do, and World War II is going to carry this even further. American women have taken a very definite share of the load in the country s progress, and in the fields of science, 2 business, and they are now also working on increasing numbers Not only did women take over the workplace, they took over the sporting world as well. For example, they worked as umpires, bowling pin setters, caddies, horse trainers, and 3 even football coaches. Philip Wrigley wasn t the only one who was involved with the start of the AAGPBL. A board of trustees was formed which included: Philip Wrigley, Branch 2 Fidler, Merrie A. The Origins and History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Jefferson, NC, McFarland &Amp; Co., Fidler, Merrie A. The Origins and History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Jefferson, NC, McFarland &Amp; Co.,

4 Rickey, Brooklyn Dodgers, the President and General Manager; Paul V. Harper, Chicago attorney and trustee for the University of Chicago and Chicago Cubs attorney; and Ken Sells, who was named President of the League. All of these members helped in creating the AAGPBL. While creating it, they faced two major issues. The first issue was that they didn t know what the rules should be. Ken Sells and Jack Sheehan made the rule book and couldn t figure out if they wanted it to be all baseball or all softball, so, they did both. In 1943, the girls would use a 12-inch softball 4 and pitch underhand, but they wanted to also make it a little more intense. For example, they extended the length of the base paths to sixty-five feet and the pitching distance to forty feet. Just like in baseball, they made sure that the girls could lead off bases and steal. These standards changed over time. Between 1943 and July, 1954, the basepaths and pitching mound extended further, the softball eventually turned into a baseball, and the style of pitching went from underhand to overhand/sidearm. The second issue they faced was to gather talented female baseball players. 5 This was very difficult because most of them came from Canada. Jim Hamilton, 30-year veteran baseball player, was hired to travel across the country to locate and sign women from all over the United States, including Canada. Even though this job was challenging, it paid off. Hamilton brought back some exceptional players to tryout for the league. 4 All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Philip K. Wrigley AAGPBL Player/Profile, AAGPBL Player Association, 2005, 5 Fidler, Merrie A. The Origins and History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Jefferson, NC, McFarland &Amp; Co.,

5 The tryouts were held in the fall of 1943 with about 280 girls who showed up. Philip Wrigley was absolutely astonished with how many girls who were interested in playing baseball. When the girls got chosen to participate in the league, they were split up into four different teams: the Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches, and the South Bend Blue Sox. All of these teams were from Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. Once they were assigned their team they were given the uniforms. To their shock and horror, the uniforms were dresses. They were short-sleeved and had very high hemlines 一 not conducive to playing baseball at all. They had to wear long, knee-high socks and baseball caps to go along with the uniforms. Joyce Hill-Westerman (player of the AAGPBL) claimed, You had to look very feminine. That s what they wanted, look feminine but play like men. That s what they expected. You had to have long hair and wear dresses and you had to wear those uniforms. When I first saw those uniforms I said, oh, I ll never play for them. Because you didn t show your legs in those days. Especially in Kenosha [Wisconsin], you know. Then later I thought, well I guess you have to play in those uniforms if you want to play. 6 Philip Wrigley wanted them to play like men, however, look very feminine while doing it. 6 Fidler, Merrie A. The Origins and History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Jefferson, NC, McFarland &Amp; Co.,

6 7 This is a picture of the girls uniforms. Another expectation of Wrigley s was that the players had to go to charm school every night after practice. Charm school taught the girls etiquette, what to wear, and beauty routines. They had to learn to sit properly, to use good posture, and how to speak pleasantly. Emily Post was head of the school and thought that charm could not exist without good manners. Consequently, one of her training points stated, A low voice, instead of a high pitched voice, is always most pleasing. Making yourself heard is also most desirable. Speak out clearly and enunciate properly. Be careful with the 8 use of slang and the slurring of words while having conversations with the public. 7 Fidler, Merrie A. The Origins and History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Jefferson, NC, McFarland &Amp; Co., All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Philip K. Wrigley AAGPBL Player/Profile, AAGPBL Player Association, 2005, 5

7 Emily was very strict in teaching the girls manners, but once they attended her course, they learned, too, that charm doesn t exist without manners. When the girls played on the team there were many advantages. They got to travel to so many new and exciting places like Cuba and Florida. Dorothy Green, player on the AAGPBL, commented, We traveled in big-league style...we had a private bus. Every Sunday, somebody would throw a party for us. We went to spring training in 9 Havana, Cuba, Florida, [and] Chicago. Furthermore, if you are on the team you could be paid up to $150 a day or even more if you were a great player. That was even more than a regular job would pay, so the women were very appreciative of it. When they weren t entertaining audiences on the field, they were involved in visiting hospitals, raising money for war bonds, putting on show games on military bases and helping to 10 develop youth programs. Although there were upsides to being on the league, there were also downsides. For instance, because their dresses were so short, and their legs were showing, whenever they slid, they would always get huge scrapes and bruises. In addition, there was a lot of practice and travel time. This took away the hours spent with their families. Overall, the upsides overruled the downsides, and the girls definitely enjoyed playing for their team. 9 Fidler, Merrie A. The Origins and History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Jefferson, NC, McFarland &Amp; Co., Gregorich, Barbara. Women at Play: the Story of Women in Baseball. San Diego, Harcourt Brace &Amp; Co.,

8 This picture shows someone helping clean off a player's scrape from sliding into 11 a base. The season officially started on May 30, 1943 with South Bend playing Rockford and Kenosha playing Racine. 108 games were played in each season, which ran from 12 mid-may to the first of September. The team that won the most games during the season was declared the permanent winner. The top teams then competed in a series of playoff games to determine the League Champion. At the end of the 1943 season, the Kenosha Comets played a 5-game series against the Racine Belles for the 11 Gregorich, Barbara. Women at Play: the Story of Women in Baseball. San Diego, Harcourt Brace &Amp; Co., All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Philip K. Wrigley AAGPBL Player/Profile, AAGPBL Player Association, 2005, 7

9 Championship. Racine won and became the first World Champions of the All-American Girls Baseball League. One of the catchers and infielders of the AAGPBL, Lavonne Pepper Paire, even wrote a victory song to motivate the girls before a game. It went like this: Batter up! Hear that call! The time has come for one and all to play ball. For we are the All-American League, we ve come from cities near and far. We ve got Canadians, Irishmen, and Swedes, we re all for one, one for all. We re All-American. Each girl stands, her head so proudly high, her motto Do Or Die. She's not the one to use or need an alibi. Our chaperones are not too soft, they re not too tough, our managers are on the ball. We ve got a president who really knows his stuff, we re all for one, we re one for all, we re All-Americans! Just like back then, girl softball teams today use all sorts of chants to get teammates energized before and during a game. After the war ended, the men who initially helped with the AAGPBL, by coaching, managing, driving buses, etc. didn t feel like continuing with that line of work any longer. Most only wanted to support the war effort and now that it was over, men s leagues sprouted up again. In 1954, the AAGPBL officially ended. Many of the girls had a hard time saying goodbye. Some said that being in the league was a huge part of their life. For instance, Marge Maxwell, player of the AAGPBL, reminisced, Playing in the league was what I call a tremendous time in my life. Those were the good times, and good memories. I m telling you right now, I owe a great deal to my time in playing baseball. I thoroughly 8

10 13 enjoyed the girls that I played with, every one of them. Every single one of those girls were all extremely proud of their accomplishments and they didn t regret playing on the team at all. Not only did they they learn how to play some great ball, but they also made very close friendships while doing it. That s one of the things the girls were most thankful for. In 1980, they had a reunion that definitely brought back some good memories and thoughts of playing for the league. Many girls later got careers that promoted women s sports involvement, and that was all thanks to being on the AAGPBL. For example, Mary Pratt, pitcher on the Kenosha Comets, thought that sports could help girls in many ways, so she later became a girls sports advocate. Furthermore, Jean Harding, (hard-hitting batter on the AAGPBL) raised three daughters who all got scholarships to college because of sports. They mainly got those scholarships because Jean learned so much from being on the league and was able to pass down the fundamental techniques to her daughters. Each and every single player s life was impacted greatly because they were on the league and they were so grateful for that. Thanks to Philip Wrigley s creation of the AAGPBL, girls today continue to play softball/baseball all over the country. Not only that, they attend colleges on softball scholarships. Just recently, in 2014, a 13-year old girl named Mo ne Davis made headlines by earning a win and pitching a shutout in the boys Little League World Series game. 13 Brown, Patricia I. A League of My Own: Memoir of a Pitcher for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Jefferson, NC, McFarland &Amp; Co.,

11 To sum it all up, if it wasn t for Philip Wrigley s creative ingenuity, the AAGPBL would have never started, and the business of baseball and its parks all over the United States could have folded. Wrigley valued patriotism over profit, and his league provided All-American entertainment to boost the morale of the war-weary public. He encouraged women s self-confidence and the idea that they could accomplish anything. That belief has carried over to today where many talented girls all over the world play softball competitively. 10

12 Bibliography: Primary Sources: All American Girls Professional Baseball League Schedule. Racine Journal Times, 1945, pp This newspaper has the 1945 schedule of the AAGPBL. Comets Set To Open Wednesday. Kenosha Evening News, 1944, pp This newspaper tells about Kenosha Comets team s star pitcher and how they get ready for a game. Gals Bring Charm Glamour to Baseball. Casablanca Stars And Stripes, 1944, pp This newspaper talks about the first reactions of when they heard girls were going to play baseball. Kenosha Takes Big Eight Track Title. Racine Journal Times, 1945, pp This newspaper has a lot of the scores of all the teams to get into the championship. National Baseball Book Honors Comet Star. Kenosha Evening News, 1944, pp This newspaper has information about the MVP Kenosha Comets team. Newspapers, Capital. At 73 O'Meara Still a Hit on the Field. Madison Wisconsin State Journal, 0 May 2008, pp This newspaper tells about a player on the AAGPBL and her overall experience on the team. 11

13 Recalling Women Baseball. Janesville Gazette, 21 Jan. 1989, pp This newspaper article is about a girl who was on the team and her perspective of it. Training Camp Reports of ALl American Girls League. Kenosha Evening News, 1945, pp This newspaper talks about the practices the girls had to do and what they did at them. Secondary Sources: AAGPBL. The History Museum», The History Museum, 2000, historymuseumsb.org/research-history/aagpbl/. The website proves that the AAGPBL became very important in society. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Philip K. Wrigley AAGPBL Player/Profile, AAGPBL Player Association, 2005, This website proves that Philip Wrigley was the main founder of the AAGPBL and how he was inspired to start it. Before A League of Their Own. Baseball Hall of Fame, Cogapp, 2005, baseballhall.org/discover/baseball-history/there-is-crying-in-baseball. This website has many photos of players on the team which proves what they had to wear in order to be on the team. Brown, Patricia I. A League of My Own: Memoir of a Pitcher for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Jefferson, NC, McFarland &Amp; Co., This book proves how before people didn't want women to be on a professional baseball team, but then they figured out what great things they could do. 12

14 Candaele, Kerry. "The History of Women's Baseball." The History of Women's Baseball The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Reserved, Web. 24 Jan This website proves that the AAGPBL ended. Fidler, Merrie A. The Origins and History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Jefferson, NC, McFarland &Amp; Co., This book tells about Philip Wrigley and his background. Furthermore, it tells about the process it took him to start the AAGPBL. Gregorich, Barbara. Women at Play: the Story of Women in Baseball. San Diego, Harcourt Brace &Amp; Co., This book proves that it was a long process for Wrigley to start the AAGPBL. Macy, Sue. A Whole New Ball Game: the Story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. New York, H. Holt, This book proves that World War II led to men's baseball teams getting endangered. SABR. Society for American Baseball Research Society for American Baseball Research. Society for American Baseball Research Society for American Baseball Research, Baseball Research Journal, 2006, sabr.org/. This website has numerous information about many different baseball leagues, including the AAGPBL. The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League: a Biographical Dictionary. Choice Reviews Online, vol. 35, no. 05, Jan. 1998, 13

15 doi: /choice This website/pdf proves that not everyone wanted Wrigley to start a girls' professional baseball league. Women's Baseball during World War II. Women's Baseball during World War II, Illinois Periodicals Online, 2005, This website proves that Philip Wrigley got his idea to start the AAGPBL because he wanted to promote women's sport participation. 14