Creation of the AAGPBL
PHILLIP K. WRIGLEY
Phillip K. Wrigley was an entrepreneur and the owner of the Chicago Cubs, he knew baseball was a profitable business. However, in the fall of 1942, he was told that the 1943 season should be suspended due to a shortage of players who would be drafted for WWII. He knew he had to do something, so he asked his assistant coach, Ken Sells, to form a committee that would come up with an idea to save the MLB. This committee came up with the idea of forming a female baseball league.
Phillip Wrigley was a very important piece in the creation of the AAGPBL. Source: All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc., "Philip K. Wrigley," http://www.aagpbl.org/index.cfm/profiles/wrigley-philip-k/911 (May 17, 2016).
Spring training was held in May of 1943 after tryouts in Havana, Cuba. Source: Ball State University, "Spring Training in Havana Cuba," http://www.bsu.edu/eft/dirtonskirts/p/_library/galleries/aagpbl/pages/springtrnhav2.html, (May 17, 2016).
RECRUITMENT
The next step was recruitment. The committee sent out scouts such as Johnny Gottsleig, Hub Bishop, Jim Hamilton, and Bill Allington. These men looked for players in Canada and America. Additionally, tryouts were held all over the United States, with the final tryouts being in Chicago, Illinois. Here, 280 selected women came and 60 were chosen to play on the four original teams: the Kenosha Comets, the Racine Belles, the Rockford Peaches, and the South Bend Blue Sox.
Elise Harney and teammates put on makeup during a game. Source: Bettmann, Archive. “Elise Harney Putting on Makeup.” Racked, Vox Media, https://www.racked.com/2018/5/10/17337442/female-baseball-lipstick-league-of-their-own.
“They want you to be ladies and play like men.”
-Ann Petrovic (Kenosha Comets)
THE VISION
Wrigley thought players should be ladylike and feminine to attract more viewers, as many women joined the league with manly mannerisms. To do this, most teams had their players join Helena Rubenstein’s Charm School. The charm school taught the women better manners, hygiene, and makeup skills. They also learned how to walk and sit more ladylike. Some teams decided to put the women though the class for one year only, others did it every year. Lastly, they had to wear skirts and makeup during the games.