When it comes to America, baseball and the MLB are pretty much staples. Mets or Yankees? Yankees or Red Sox? The question of who roots for which team is enough to raise hell.
But who here has heard of the AAGPBL? Anyone?
Gaining slight recognition after the release of the 1992 comedy “A League of Their Own,” the AAGPBL, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, lasted from the 1940s to the 1950s. Sticking to contemporary feminine ideals, players attended charm school, wore makeup, and played in skirts.
Formed out of ‘necessity,’ the AAGPBL ran on borrowed time. When the war ended and the men returned, this little-known female league vanished into obscurity.
Women are still somewhat involved in baseball, just not in the same manner. According to the Baseball Hall of Fame webpage, the 2020s have seen women become coaches, managers, and broadcasters for the major leagues. In 2022, Kelsie Whitmore joined the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League.
With a massive boost in gender equality since the days of the AAGPBL, could women’s baseball return? With how many female leagues other sports have, it’s certainly possible. With gender norms presently seen as an issue, any reincarnation of the AAGPBL would require modernization to ensure any chance of survival. Instead of skirts and feminine charm, the focus would be the same as the MLB: the game, fair play, and sportsmanship among the players.
At the time, it was well known that the AAGPBL would be temporary. The response? It was treated as such, and once it was no longer needed, it was dissolved. For an organization to last, dedication has to be there from the beginning. From manager to coach, to player, to viewer, spirit is what sports are based on, and it shows in how big the MLB is. Present baseball teams, their long-standing run in the industry, and their loyal following of fans built the industry together, and it is time for female teams to get the same treatment.
The AAGPBL is a little-known segment of American history. Bringing it back would be an amazing way to honor original members, advance the world of baseball, and give young girls the confidence to play the same sports that boys play.
