A League of Their Own, directed by Penny Marshall

I’ve watched numerous movies in my lifetime but A League of Their Own, directed by Penny Marshall, is without a doubt my favorite movie. This movie was released on July 1, 1992 and was filmed in several well-known locations such as California, New York, Oregon, and Indiana, and made $132,440,069. I may be biased regarding this movie due to the fact that I’ve grown up playing softball, but the story line itself is what attracts me the most. A League of Their Own depicts a reenactment of the first real womens professional baseball team that formed when eligible men left for World War II in the 1940s.

In the year 1942, many baseball teams disintegrated because of the shortage of male players due to the draft. Men who were 18 years of age and older were being drafted into the military, hence creating a shortage of players. Philip K. Wrigley, along with a group of businessmen, promoted and formed the non-profit All-American Girls Softball team in 1943. A Board of Trustees was then formed who decided halfway through the first season to change the leagues name to the All-American Girls Baseball League (AAGBBL) with the primary purpose of distinguishing this league from existing softball leagues. The name changed a few times over the course of several decades but by 1988, the official name became the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), with the hope of being recognized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Even though the movie A League of Their Own is fictional, the story itself is based on a true turning point in womens history. Dottie Hinson, the main character in the film, was an all-star catcher who was scouted into the AAGPBL. Even though Dotties character was fictional, her background was based off of an actual member of the League. Mary Bonnie Baker, an all-star catcher for the South Bend Blue Sox, is depicted through the character Dottie Henson. Her character depicts a woman who could not only be aggressive on the field, but also in society.

Just as the resemblance of Dottie Henson to Mary Bonnie Baker, there also are several other scenes in the movie that represent real-life moments for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. In A League of Their Own, scouts were sent out to find the most talented women to play in this newly created league. Women like Dottie and her sister Kit, Doris, Evelyn, and Alice were noticed at these scouting events. Women who were invited to try outs were informed at the final session that if they made a team, their names would be listed under the name of said team. This resembles the actual AAGPBLs process. Of the women selected for try outs, only 280 were invited to the final try outs in Chicago. Of these 280, only 60 women were chosen to play professional baseball in the league.

In the actual league, a team had a male manager/coach that was a notable men sports figure. This was done in the hopes of attracting more publicity to the league. Just as in the actual league, this also was portrayed in the movie. The Peaches, the team Dottie Henson played for, had Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) as their manager. I believe Tom Hanks was the perfect fit for the role of Jimmy Dugan. In the beginning of the movie, Hanks portrays the emotions of a stereotypical male in that time period who treated women less than they deserved. He talked to his players in an appalling manner, spat on a female player, and made Evelyn cry because he screamed at her in the middle of a game. As the movie goes on, Hanks character lightens up and realizes that he is no better than these women. Once he got to know the Peaches, he realized that they were talented young women whom he grew to care deeply for.

What I thought was interesting was the fact that these selected woman were forced to go through Beauty School. Usually when someone thinks of playing baseball, required Beauty School doesn’t come to mind. In the real league, as well as in the movie, the players were required to attend Beauty School after daily practices. The actual league was partnered with Helena Rubensteins Beauty Salon, where they attended in the evening to master hygiene, manners, and dress code. While the board wanted talented young women, they also wanted attractive women who would attract large audiences. The board wanted the women to look sexy while playing baseball, which was the main reason these women wore skirts as their uniform. Wearing a skirt during a baseball game increased the likelihood of possible injuries for the female players, hence showing the boards priorities.

A League of Their Own is a movie that taught me to not take things in life for granted, especially softball. In 1942, the women in the AAGPBL had to fight and work like crazy every single day to prove that they were worthy of playing baseball. Even when the league first began with little to no support, these women used that as their drive to work harder to make the league become successful. With the draining hours of training coupled with their dedication, these women changed history for girls who play softball today. The female players in the AAGPBL not only served as a catalyst for women athletes, but for all women. I am forever grateful for my opportunity to play the sport that I love today without anyone degrading me because of my gender.

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