The Origins and History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

by Merrie A. Fidler

Overview

This in-depth treatment of the organization and operation of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League draws on primary documents from league owner Arthur Meyerhoff and others for a unique perspective inside the AAGPBL.

The study begins with a brief history of women's softball, an important precursor to, and talent pool for, women's professional baseball. Next the book investigates league administration and organization as well as publicity and promotion. Later chapters cover team administrative structures, managers, chaperones, player backgrounds, and league policies. Finally, discussion focuses on the activities of the AAGPBL Players' Association from 1980 onward. Informed by many years of research and insights from former players, this exhaustive history contains 149 photographs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476604282
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	05/07/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Retired teacher and coach Merrie A. Fidler has published several articles regarding the history of women in sports. She lives in Trinidad, California.
Retired teacher and coach Merrie A. Fidler has published several articles on the history of women in sports. She lives in Trinidad, California.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables     
Acknowledgments     
Foreword by Jean Cione     
Preface     

PART I—HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
1: The Establishment of Softball as a Sport for American Women, 1900–1940     

PART II—LEAGUE ADMINISTRATION
2: The Trustee Administration, 1943–1944     
3: Establishing the Public Image: Publicity and Promotion, 1943–1944     
4: The Management Corporation, 1945–1950     
5: Expansion of Public Exposure: Publicity and Promotion, 1945–1950     
6: Independent Team Owners, 1951–1954     
7: Decentralization of Publicity and Promotion, 1951–1954     

PART III—TEAM ADMINISTRATION
8: Team Administrative Structure and Personnel     
9: Team Managers     
10: Chaperones     

PART IV—THE PLAYERS
11: Player Recruitment and Sociological Characteristics     
12: AAGBBL Player Policies and Regulations     
13: AAGBBL All-Stars     

PART V—BEYOND THE PLAYING FIELD
14: The Newsletter and the First National Reunion     
15: The Archives and the Baseball Hall of Fame     
16: The Organization of the Players’ Association and A League of Their Own     
17: The Players' Association, 1990–2004     

PART VI—SUMMATION
18: Summary and Conclusions     

PART VII—APPENDICES
Appendix 1: AAGPBL Players’ Association Offices and Committee Positions Held, 1980–2004     
Appendix 2: AAGBBL Highlights     
Appendix 3: The League Song     
Appendix 4: AAGBBL Champions     
Appendix 5: AAGBBL Point Rating Chart     

Chapter Notes     
Bibliography     
Index     

What People are Saying About This

Helen 'Gig' Smith

...a tremendously thorough study of our league. If other books written about our league were combined, they still would never compare to the masterful finished product of [this] book. It is an amazing piece of work! (Helen "Gig" Smith (Kenosha Comets 1947, Grand Rapids Chicks 1948))

Helen Smith

...a tremendously thorough study of our league. If other books written about our league were combined, they still would never compare to the masterful finished product of [this] book. It is an amazing piece of work! (Helen "Gig" Smith (Kenosha Comets 1947, Grand Rapids Chicks 1948))

Editorial Reviews

this book is both a great narrative tale as well as an important reference book on the women’s league”—SABR Bibliography Committee Newsletter; “well worth picking up and reading”—Women in Baseball Committee Newsletter; “a tremendously thorough study of our league. If other books written about our league were combined, they still would never compare to the masterful finished product of [this] book. It is an amazing piece of work!”—Helen “Gig” Smith (Kenosha Comets 1947, Grand Rapids Chicks 1948); “at last, the story in full of the AAGPBL in one volume!...well-organized and thorough...a significant contribution to the game’s rich history”—Jean Hastings Ardell, author, Breaking into Baseball: Women and the National Pastime.

From the Publisher

a tremendously thorough study of our league. If other books written about our league were combined, they still would never compare to the masterful finished product of [this] book. It is an amazing piece of work!

Grand Rapids Chicks 1948) Helen "Gig" Smith (Kenosha Comets 1947

a tremendously thorough study of our league. If other books written about our league were combined, they still would never compare to the masterful finished product of [this] book. It is an amazing piece of work!

(Kenosha Comets 1947, Grand Rapids Chicks 1948) - Helen "Gig" Smith

well worth picking up and reading

Women in Baseball Committee Newsletter

this book is both a great narrative tale as well as an important reference book on the women's league

SABR Bibliography Committee Newsletter

A tremendously thorough study of our league. If other books written about our league were combined, they still would never compare to the masterful finished product of [this] book. It is an amazing piece of work! "Helen "Gig" Smith (Kenosha Comets 1947, Grand Rapids Chicks 1948)

"Helen "Gig" Smith