Women's Professional Baseball League (1978)
"We expend the same amount of energy as the men. We practice just as much. We play just as hard. We contribute our share to the success of a tournament"
The Cincinnati Red Stockings was the first team of professional baseball players. This group of solely males, otherwise called the "boys of summer", took the field in 1869. The first "girls of summer", who were paid to play baseball during World War II, competed in their first game in 1875. The decision to allow women to play in the men's absence due to the war inspired the movies such as "A League of Their Own".
During the 1870s, American woman could not vote or own property in her own name after marriage, but she could play ball. Uniforms often weighed as much as 30 pounds and included floor-length skirts, underskirts, long-sleeved and high-necked blouses, and high button shoes. Not only were the women expected to play ball like "ladies", but they were also sent to charm and beauty schools to make sure every one of them would be able to reflect positive and professional behavior and appearance.
Since many men were on the battlefield during World War II, an All-American Girl's Professional Baseball League, which replaced Major League Baseball in 1943, was created to provide entertainment. It was such a success that the number of people who attended women's baseball games reached almost 1 million in 1948. However, when the war ended and Major League Baseball resumed, female baseball players returned to their houses to fill the role of housewife. The All-American Girl's Professional Baseball League lost the majority of its audience and eventually disbanded in 1954.
Forty years later, in 1994, the Colorado Silver Bullets became the first team formed with the purpose of providing a nurturing environment for exceptional female athletes to learn and play professional baseball against already existing men's teams within the ranks of minor league, semi-pro, college, and amateur baseball. 20 women were selected from 1,300 nationwide to compose this team. The Silver Bullets played games against men's semiprofessional teams and regional teams until 1997, when the Ladies League Baseball began with four teams. The current League's progression has inspired female athletes all over the country to play baseball at all levels, from Little League to professional leagues. It also encourages all sports, not just baseball, to accept women athletes as regular players.
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