All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

If you are a baseball fan, you probably have heard about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League or AAGPBL. This baseball league is a women’s professional team founded in the year 1943. The founder of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League is Philip K. Wrigley.

All American Girls Professional Baseball League history started during the World War II, when many young men were sent to the army, so there were cancellation of baseball games. That was the reason why Wrigley came up with the idea to form a girls’ baseball league. The name of the league had been changed several times. At first, the team was created to be a softball team, but over time, it actually followed the rules of baseball. So, the name was changed to All-American Girls Professional Baseball League after the first season in 1943.

There were some controversies about the name because it used the term ‘baseball’, which was considered not feminine. So at the end of 1943, during the All American Girls Professional Baseball League play season, it was transformed into All-American Girls Professional Ball League. The team kept that name until 1945 when it was changed again to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League or AAGPBL. Even though in the team changed its name again in 1950, this time to American Girls Baseball League or AGBL, the original name of All American Girls Professional Baseball League is more popular until now.

The team played mostly at the Wrigley Field in Chicago. Besides that, the team also played in four other cities, which are Racine and Kenosha in Wisconsin, Rockford in Illinois, and South Bend in Indiana. Each girl team consists of fifteen players, one coach, a business manager, and a woman chaperone.

Although at that time the game of baseball was considered a masculine sport, femininity in this league was a priority. After daily practices, the team had to follow an evening class, where the players were taught different things like proper etiquette, personal hygiene, dress code and others. As a part of the league, each player also received a beauty kit. The design of the uniform was very feminine as well. It was a one-piece short-skirted flared tunic, satin shorts, baseball socks, and baseball hat. The color of the uniform varied from city to city and the team logo was placed on the front side of the uniform.

Just like other sports teams, this league also had its own the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League song. The official song was co-written by Lavone Paire Davis and Nalda Philips. In several sports websites, you can find the All American Girls Professional Baseball League song lyrics.