The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

During World War II, afraid that major league baseball would need to pause while men were overseas fighting, Philip K. Wrigley, chewing gum mogul and owner of the Chicago Cubs, spearheaded a new professional ball league, this one made up of women players. In the twelve years of All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League play, over 600 women had the chance to play professionally, earning substantial salaries and delighting fans across the Midwest. Joining me in this episode is baseball historian Dr. Leslie Heaphy, Associate Professor of History at Kent State University Stark Campus, chair of the The Women in Baseball Committee of the The Society for American Baseball Research, and editor of the Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball.

Our theme song is “Frogs Legs Rag,” composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “That Baseball Rag,” composed by Clarence Jones with lyrics by Dave Wolff; this recording by vocalist Arthur Collins, from June 12, 1913, is in the public domain and is available via the Library of Congress National Jukebox. The episode image is Dottie Schroeder, catcher, shouting play ball, on April 22, 1948; the image is in the public domain and is available via the State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory.

Discussed in this episode:

Additional Sources:

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association
“Before A League of Their Own,” by Sam Carr, National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, by Anika Orrock, Chronicle Books, 2020.
When Women Played Hardball, by Susan E. Johnson, Seal Press, 1994.
“All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Interviews,” Grand Valley State University Libraries.

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