[Screen] The pitcher threw a fast arc ball, but did not make the batsman nervous. The audience cheered as the ball flew through the air and the outfield players rushed over to grab the ball. At first glance, this may be similar to other baseball games in the 1940s and 50s, but it is actually very different.
players are not men, but young women who play in the All-American Women's Professional Baseball League that was just established at the time.
The league was designed by Philip Rigley, the owner of the then Chicago Cubs , and was founded in 1943 to help maintain baseball during World War II, when many male baseball players served in the army.
Philip K. Wrigley, 1917
To establish the league, Philip sent scouts to find 60 women interested in joining the league. The youngest among this group of female players is only 16 years old, and the oldest is a married mother of 27 years old. They were initially divided into six groups to compete and perform for thousands of spectators, and the audience could come and enjoy the women's sport for about $0.74.
National Women's Professional Baseball League players are reading a magazine
These female players have a weekly salary of between $50 and $85. They will travel across the United States according to the schedule to play against each other's teams. At the beginning, it looked a lot like softball and baseball , but this game is a little different from those two sports.
First of all, the ball used in the game is larger than that of a baseball, but not as big as a softball. Unlike softball, it cannot steal bases, and compared with baseball stadium , the distance between the fields is slightly further. In addition to these minor tweaks, the rules and scoring systems used by softball and baseball remain consistent in the Women’s Professional Baseball League.
Although earlier, people thought that not many people would be willing to spend money to watch women play this form of baseball. But as time goes by and the league grows, coupled with the reasonable schedule, the Women's Professional Baseball League has gained great popularity. In order to maintain a good image, the league also has very strict requirements on female players. For example, you have to wear skirts when going out, you cannot smoke or drink in public, and you cannot even have dates without the company's company. But these female players worked very hard and performed very tenaciously in the game.
In the game, they would slide through the soil to steal the base, run halfway through the field to receive a flying ball, and hit many home runs, which stunned the audience. The record of
is also impressive, such as receiver Mary Baker can shoot a 105-meter-long ball, Sophie Curris has also played second base for Racine Beres in her career. She stole 1114 base points in her career and won the nickname "Flint Flash".
Mary Baker
Sophie Currys
Finally, with the end of World War II, the league began to lose popularity due to many reasons, including the start of baseball games being broadcast on TV.
The all american Girls Professional Ball League officially ended in 1954, but it is still being continued as a rich cultural heritage. This was the inspiration for the 1992 film A League of Their Own, and many former players were recognized for being inducted into the National Women’s Baseball Hall of Fame.
The great women who formed the alliance have never regretted working for it. As former league pitcher Dotty Collins said: "We are just a bunch of kids who want to do our favorite things. But most of us now recognize that time was the most meaningful day in our lives."
ronze sculpture in the Baseball Hall of Fame in New York, New York, commemorating the All-American Women's Professional Baseball League.
Doti Collins (left)
This article is original by Half Life Futian. Welcome to follow and take you to gain knowledge!
