In May 1943, Betsy Jochum stepped onto the diamond at Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs. She and nearly 300 other women from across the United States and Canada had been invited to try out for the first professional baseball league for women.
“Women playing on Wrigley Field—could you imagine that?” says Jochum, now 97.
Not many people could imagine that 75 years ago, when a woman’s place was supposed to be in the home, not playing pro sports. But America’s entry into World War II in 1941 had forced the nation to rethink gender roles in a variety of fields, and that helped open the door for the creation of the new league, which would come to be known as the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Only 60 players would make the cut for the original four teams. Jochum, who had grown up playing softball in Cincinnati, Ohio, impressed the scouts with her speed, hitting, and fielding, and was selected to play for the Blue Sox of South Bend, Indiana.
In May 1943, Betsy Jochum stepped onto the diamond at Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs. She and nearly 300 other women from across the United States and Canada had been invited to try out for the first professional baseball league for women.
“Women playing on Wrigley Field—could you imagine that?” says Jochum, now 97.
Not many people could imagine that 75 years ago. Back then, a woman’s place was supposed to be in the home, not playing pro sports. But America’s entry into World War II in 1941 had forced the nation to rethink gender roles in a variety of fields. That helped open the door for the creation of the new league, which would come to be known as the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Only 60 players would make the cut for the original four teams. Jochum had grown up playing softball in Cincinnati, Ohio. She impressed the scouts with her speed, hitting, and fielding. They selected her to play for the Blue Sox of South Bend, Indiana.