The South Bend Blue Sox: A History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Team and Its Players, 1943-1954

Immortalized in the film A League of Their Own, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League debuted in 1943 as a way to fill ballpark seats while Major League Baseball suspended operations during World War II. Any fan expecting to see a watered-down version of the game was in for quite a surprise. The women on the field proved every bit as tough and competitive as their male counterparts, running with abandon, diving for catches, and sliding fearlessly, all while wearing short skirts. This WORK chronicles the history of the league as seen through the players, management, and experiences of the South Bend Blue Sox--one of only two teams to exist for the league's entire 11-season existence. Although few players saw themselves as revolutionaries, these daring heroines helped pave the way toward greater freedom of choice for the generations of women who followed.