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Shelby Womble
Amanda Funk
Inquiry, Block 13
30 September 2013
The League That Changed the Game
Eventually, we won them over. At first they just came to see the skirts, and then we showed
them we could play, remarked Dorothy Dottie Kamenshek, a well-known player in the All-
American Girls Professional Baseball League. In the beginning, the All-American Girls
Professional Baseball League was strictly created to serve as an alternative form of entertainment
and means to keep revenues up. Although the league may have been initially created because of
specific reasons and eventually ended, it had a very organized structure along with many
regulations, and gave women the opportunity to prove themselves as players as well as broaden
the door for female athletes everywhere.
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was initially thought of and created
because it was widely believed that many baseball leagues would be suspended due to lack of
players, war interruption, and fear of future revenue loss. In 1943, the United States was highly
involved in World War II, causing professional baseball to hit a crucial moment. Due to the war
many major and minor baseball players were drafted into the armed forces, which lead to the
destruction of numerous teams causing many team owners to worry. The fear of his whole
organization going down is what pushed Chicago Cubs owner, Philip K. Wrigley, to form a
committee that would be able to come up with a reasonable idea that would be able to help keep
revenues up, serve as means of entertainment, and keep the game going. Once the idea was
conceived and reviewed, and financial support was received, the league was officially formed.
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Structure, formation, and regulations were key components used in composing the league. The
teams that were formed to create the league were made of fifteen players, a manger (coach), a
business manager, and a female chaperone. Selecting talented women across the country that
knew how to play the game correctly and efficiently showed to be a major challenge facing the
trustees of the league. The challenge was conquered by selecting capable scouts and setting up
tryouts in dozens of major cities. Hundreds of women from all over America and Canada
participated in the tryouts and were eager to be part of the league. Only two hundred and eighty
women were selected to be in the final tryouts in which sixty of them were chosen to be the first
women to play on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. In addition to attending
daily practices, the women were required to attend evening charm school classes, in which they
were taught the proper etiquette for every situation. Femininity was the key component of the
league and although the women were stepping into male positions it did not mean they were
allowed to talk, act, or dress like the men did. Specially designed feminine uniforms were given
to each player along with a beauty kit. Because of the structure and regulations, many believed
the league was created solely for entertainment purposes. Although that may have been true, the
women were sure to prove themselves as athletes and re-shape the minds of many by the time the
league had ended.
Attendance to the games continued to grow and the league continued to operate until 1954. The
league ended due to the decrease in major interest, fallen revenues, and lack of support for
individual teams. Although the league ended, the women were able to prove themselves as
players through their dedication and willingness as well as broadened the door for female
athletes everywhere. When the league ended many women still wanted to play ball leading to the
overall creation of womens softball leagues. Although with softball the rules were fairly
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different and evolved every year, the women were satisfied with the opportunity to be able to
play. After ending, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League host cities organized
junior leagues for young female athletes. In the end, although the league may have come to a
stop, it inspired many women to get involved in sports and gave women the opportunity to prove
themselves as athletes as well as broadened the door for female athletes everywhere.
In the beginning, Dorothy Dottie Kamenshek, told Marquette Magazine, the were getting
only 500 people in the stands, and then it got up to 10,000, which is good for a town that
supports minor league baseball. Eventually, we won them over. At first they just came to see the
skirts, and we showed them we could play. Kamenshek, along with the other female players,
were able to show that although the All-American Girls Softball League may have been initially
created for entertainment and revenue purposes, and may have had a very organized structure
along with many regulations, by the time the league ended, the women were able to prove
themselves as players as well as broaden the door for female athletes everywhere.







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