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Posted by on Jul 21, 2021 in TellMeWhy |

Has Baseball Ever Been a Sport for Women?

Has Baseball Ever Been a Sport for Women?

In Major League Baseball, why are all the guys on the pitch? Discover the reasons why there aren’t any female baseball players today with the Juniorsbook squad. Baseball is referred to as the national sport in the United States. It is based on cricket and rounders, two popular English sports. Even before the Civil War, it was well liked. On May 4, 1869, they played the first game in professional history. The Great Western and Cincinnati Baseball Clubs were the opponents.

With one exception, there were no women on the professional teams back then. In 1898, pitcher Lizzie Arlington signed on with a Philadelphia squad. She took part for one inning. Her career was over after that. Baseball was briefly played by women in college. By 1878, parents worried about their daughters’ safety had put a stop to that.

During World War II, the sport suffered. 500+ players from the main leagues engaged in combat. 1943 saw the founding of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Throughout the war years, the League aided in preserving the sport and its spirit. There were 600 or more women who joined the league. They were serious about the sport.

The women of the AAGPBL were held to high standards by the league proprietors. Players were required to take seminars on topics including hairstyles. The women were expected by the leaders to always behave politely in public. Female team leaders ensured that the athletes presented themselves as femininely as possible in public. They had cosmetics and skirted costumes on the pitch.

For the AAGPBL, black women could not try out. A number of them played baseball in the black national leagues. The ladies were primarily engaged by the Negro Leagues to sell tickets. The first woman to routinely play on a professional baseball team was Toni Stone.

By taking over Hank Aaron’s vacant Indianapolis Clowns job in 1953, Stone won over many admirers. Her hit off the best pitcher in the Negro leagues, Satchel Paige, also made headlines. Despite only having a three-season career, Stone is recognised in various baseball halls of fame.

The AAGPBL ran from 1948 to 1954. The war had already ended by then, and fewer ladies were attending games. The first men’s games were broadcast on television. The League was unable to maintain the support necessary for its survival.

In the 1970s, a Supreme Court decision permitted girls to play Little League. Girls can now legally play baseball up until the age of twelve. The government passed Title IX in 1972. This educational policy prohibits sexism at institutions that receive federal funding. High school and college girls might be able to play baseball thanks to Title IX. Instead, this law encourages girls to play softball. Many people think of softball as the female version of baseball.

In high schools or colleges, there are no female baseball teams. If women desire to play the sport, they must try out for the men’s teams. Because they can’t play baseball in high school, women are ineligible for baseball scholarships at colleges. Additionally, they lack a route to playing professionally.

The obstacles that exist for women in baseball are being attacked by some. The Colorado Silver Bullets were an all-female baseball club from 1994 to 1997. A woman was employed as an on-field coach by the San Francisco Giants. As their general manager, the Miami Marlins hired a woman. Women have owned teams and worked as sports reporters.

Women are becoming more prominent in baseball all across the world. There are national organisations specifically for women in the sport in nations like Canada, Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong. The USA Baseball Women’s National Team was established in 2004. The team began competing in world cups that year against other national teams. Additionally, the team’s female members promote the sport to more young women.

Content for this question contributed by Marylee Bunch, resident of Olmsted Township, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA