All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Interviews (RHC-58)
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was started by
Philip Wrigley, owner of the Chicago Cubs, during World War II to fill
the void left by the departure of most of the best male baseball
players for military service. Players were recruited from across the
country, and the league was successful enough to be able to continue
on after the war. The league had teams based in Wisconsin, Illinois,
Indiana and Michigan, and operated between 1943 and 1954. The 1954
season ended with only the Fort Wayne, South Bend, Grand Rapids,
Kalamazoo, and Rockford teams remaining. The League gave over 600
women athletes the opportunity to play professional baseball. Many of
the players went on to successful careers, and the league itself
provided an important precedent for later efforts to promote women's sports.