Softball Girl Essay

From 1939 to 1945, the effects of World War II stretched far and wide, reaching even the traditional way of life in America. During this time, clothes, food, and gas were rationed, prices and wages were controlled, the production of consumer goods was suspended, and the “American pastime” was put on hold. By 1942, several baseball teams had been disbanded due to the war. One in five men between the ages of 18 and 36 were drafted and sent overseas to serve in the U.S. armed services, leaving holes in America’s corporate and industrial infrastructure. These holes were filed by African Americans, students, and especially women who took advantage of this opportunity to work in high productivity jobs as the American economy evolved to help the

There is always an ongoing debate of “Who’s Better?” between the baseball boys and softball girls. Of course, the softball girls are, but the boys never accept that. The AAGBL is living proof that girls can play just as well as boys, and it continues to serve as an inspiration for young softball players. The All-American Girls Baseball League and its role in American popular culture during World War II is still important to this day. The AAGBL played an integral role in the overall scheme of the Women’s Rights Movement. By showing the American public that women are capable of doing whatever men can do, especially something so associated with American masculinity like baseball, the AAGBL strengthened the Women’s Rights Movement for equality in the workplace and popular culture. The celebration of the end of the war on August 14, 1945 by the AAGBL and half a million Americans demonstrates how the League was able to bring together the American people during a time of hardship and sacrifice. In a way, the AAGBL was a source of hope and happiness during the war, and a distraction from all the negative effects of being a country at war, such as shortages and family