Image Not Available for Baseball
Baseball
Image Not Available for Baseball

Baseball

Object number2024.39.1
Manufacturer
Datec. 1953
MediumHorsehide; Cork; Rubber; Thread
Credit LineGift of Family of Virginia Carver
DescriptionBaseball with red laces. Black text in the front-center of the ball and in the bottom section of the ball on the front. Manufacturer's label on the top of the front of the ball features two large baseballs, with a man dressed in a baseball uniform in between both balls. Red handwritten text on the proper left side of the front of the ball, with red marks around the text in the shape of a box. DimensionsCircumference: 9.875 in. (25.1 cm)
InscriptionsText on the front of the ball reads: "AMERICAN GIRLS' / BASEBALL LEAGUE". Text in the lower section on the front reads: "No. GE [illegible] O / 5 Oz. 10 in. / HORSEHIDE COVER". Possible dark text below this, or possible discoloration.

Red text on the proper right side reads: "V.C.".
MarksMark on top of ball is mostly illegible, but possibly reads: "J. deBeer & So." above the baseball on the proper right side of the label, and "ALBANY NY" above the proper left side of the label. Text in the proper left ball reads: "DOUBLE" and ball on the proper right side reads: "HEADER". Text below the proper right ball reads: "EST.", "®" symbol between the legs of the player, and "1889" printed below the proper left ball.
Label TextJust as World War II created opportunities for women at work, it also altered sport, providing visibility on the field. With huge numbers of young men serving in the war effort, many minor league teams disbanded, and the ranks of the Major Leagues were depleted. Fearing a collapse of the fan base, Chicago Cubs owner Phillip Wrigley put together a committee to generate ideas to save baseball. The group recommended the development of a girls’ softball league ready to play in MLB ballparks if needed. This idea became the nucleus for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Between 1943 and 1954 the league changed the face of America’s pastime. More than 600 girls and women competed in this professional league. At its peak in 1948, it attracted almost one million paying fans. From four teams, the league grew to 10, then contracted to five in the early 1950s as fans returned to Major League Baseball and revenues declined. However, for a time, the women of the AAGPBL were in A League of Their Own.
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