The Belles of Baseball: The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

The Belles of Baseball: The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League — page 7
Cuba Most of the women were in their late teens or FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME As baseball's popularity soared the game became an honored and cherished component of American culture Baseball came to be known as the national pastime and America's game Writers and historians gushed over the sport's enormous appeal The national pastime became the great repository of national ideals the symbol of all that was good in America wrote baseball historian John Thorn Former Major League Baseball commissioner Bart Giamatti claimed Baseball is the last great arena where everybody can learn the lessons of life 3 To many people baseball teaches important lessons learned from experiencing both victory and defeat For others baseball is a reminder of simpler times in America Some appreciate the game for its values of individualism and power Poet Walt Whitman wrote It has the snap go and fling of the new American atmosphere belongs as much to our institutions fits into them as significantly as our Constitution's laws early 20s Several players were only 15 years old when they were signed by the league to play The women came mainly from working class families and many had grown up on farms These young athletes were drawn to the league for one reason they loved to play baseball According to former AAGPBL player Lois J Youngen They loved to win they loved to make a great catch they loved to feel the crack of the wooden bat on the ball and to know it would be a base hit Playing baseball was more important than the money as long as you had enough to survive