All American Profesional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.
The league went through three periods of ownership. The League was owned by chewing gum mogul Philip K. Wrigley[1] from 1943–1945, Arthur Meyerhoff from 1945–1951, and the teams were individually owned from 1951-1954. In 1947 and 1948, spring training exhibition games were held at the Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba.
The teams generally played in second-tier Midwestern cities. Only two teams stayed in their home cities for the full 12-year period, the South Bend Blue Sox and the Rockford Peaches.
With America's entry into World War II, several major league baseball executives started a new professional league with women players in order to maintain baseball in the public eye while the majority of able men were away. Initial tryouts were held at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
The league went through three periods of ownership. The League was owned by chewing gum mogul Philip K. Wrigley[1] from 1943–1945, Arthur Meyerhoff from 1945–1951, and the teams were individually owned from 1951-1954. In 1947 and 1948, spring training exhibition games were held at the Gran Stadium in Havana, Cuba.
The teams generally played in second-tier Midwestern cities. Only two teams stayed in their home cities for the full 12-year period, the South Bend Blue Sox and the Rockford Peaches.
With America's entry into World War II, several major league baseball executives started a new professional league with women players in order to maintain baseball in the public eye while the majority of able men were away. Initial tryouts were held at Wrigley Field in Chicago.