The Beginning of the End of One of Baseball’s Greatest Hour

by Cindy Holcomb

1950 was the beginning of the end of one of baseball’s greatest decades – for women, that is. Today, you will find professional sport’s leagues for women – basketball, tennis, golf, and even hockey. But, it all started with the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League – the organization that inspired idea for the movie, “A League of Their Own”. 

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was formed in 1943 in an attempt to save the Major League Baseball Parks from bankruptcy. During this period, young men over the age of eighteen were being drafted – leaving the baseball fields empty. Like many other areas during this period, the women picked up where the men left off in an attempt to keep the nation strong. 

After the war, as the men came home and resumed or began baseball careers, the popularity of the women’s baseball league began to wane. As women began returning to their homes and the world prepared to continue on a normal level, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League began its slow death – each year with fewer teams. By 1954, there were only five teams left – not enough to bring in the revenue needed in order to support the league. 

Over 600 women athletes participated in the league – giving these women the opportunity to do something that had never before been done – playing professional sports. Although the league did not last but a decade, the mark that these women made on professional sports eventually led to the very real dreams of little girls around the nation – to participate in professional sports. These 600 women opened a door that had previously been closed. 

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League did not encourage girls to act like boys just because they were playing a boy’s game. The league encouraged the girls to remain feminine with a charm school guide. This guide stressed the importance of a healthy body and a healthy mind by teaching the importance of a full night’s sleep, cleanliness, a dress code, and even etiquette tips. The goal was for the girls to make a good impression all-around – not just on the baseball field. 

When you think of baseball teams, you think of the Red Sox, the Braves, the Mets, and the Brewers. But, for some the Grand Rapid Chicks, the Fort Wayne Daisies, the Rockford Peaches, and the Battle Creek Belles will always symbolize the decade when women broke the barriers and opened up a whole new world for little girls all across the nation. Short-lived, but with lasting effects, the All- American Girls Professional Baseball League lives on in the dreams of every little girl who picks up a bat and faces a pitcher for the first time.