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Women’s baseball teams

Part IV:

In 1952, a nine-minute filmed sports show that was featured in movie theaters just before the featured film, covered the Kalamazoo Klouters (or “feminine phenoms”) at play against the Fort Wayne Daisies and the Battle Creek Belles. “The English teacher, bank teller, housewife, and printer all shared a common love of the game, and, as the narrator explained, “these typically American girls may play ball with masculine magnificence, but off the field they perform with traditional feminine finesse.'” In 1950, the Racine Belles and Junior Belles folded due to lack of money.

The next 20 years brought about more changes in the Major Leagues. As a result of Title IX, a 1972 federal statute barring sex discrimination in public schools, girls’ and women’s participation in softball, as well as other sports, soared, as did the number of high school and college teams. In 1974, the Little League permitted girls to play on teams. In 1984, Bob Hope founded the Sun Sox, a Class A minor league all-women’s team; tried to enter the team into the Class A Florida State League; the league didn’t award Hope the franchise, because of male chauvinism; Henry “Hank” Aaron was the team’s director of player personnel. In 1988, the American Women’s Baseball Association (AWBA) founded in Chicago; first organized women’s league since AAGPBL.

Six players from the AWBA were extras in the movie “A League of Their Own” in 1992.

In 1994, Bob Hope formed and Coors Brewing Company sponsored the Colorado Silver Bullets women’s baseball team which played men’s college and minor league teams – the team lasted for four years. In 1995 Ila Borders became the first woman to pitch and win a complete collegiate baseball game; Ila also was the first woman to win a collegiate baseball scholarship. In 1988 Ila became the first woman to win a men’s pro game while pitching for the Duluth Dukes independent minor league team.

In 2001, the first Women’s World Series was played at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; countries that participated were the U.S., Australia, Canada, and Japan. The United States won the gold medal. In 2003, the American Eagles of American Women’s Baseball became the first women’s baseball team to be sanctioned by USA Baseball. Also, in 2003 women’s baseball became the official sport of the AAU; which marked the first time in U.S. history that a U.S. national organization began sanctioning and supporting women’s baseball.

A colloquialism in the 1960s perfectly described what lay ahead in sports – “It’s a whole new ball game.”

And so we had women who belonged to the famous “Bloomer Girls” league baseball that played right here in southwestern Minnesota – at Hanley Falls and Milroy. How come we didn’t know about them? Was it because they were women?

SOURCES: “Baseball Americana,” by Harry Katz, Frank Ceresi, Phil Michel, Wilson Mcbee, Susan Reyburn.

“Transition of Women’s Baseball,” by Gai Ingham Berlage.

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