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DOROTHY 'DOTTIE' KAMENSHEK

FEMALE BASEBALL PLAYER

and the story of the 

AAGBL

BY ADAM PILACHOWSKI

iN 1942, MANY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAMS WERE SUFFERING.   YOUNG MEN 

WERE BEING SENT OFF TO WAR.   WORRIED ABOUT THE FALL OF THE BASEBALL 

PARKS, PHILLIP WRIGLEY SEARCHED FOR A SOLUTION.  

Mr. Wrigley, the owner of Wrigley chewing gum, came up with a plan to save 

Baseball parks across America.   He established the ALL AMERICAN GIRLS 

PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE also known as the AAGPBL.

      Scouts were sent out to major cities to find the talented women to play on 

these teams.   Many of the players were from softball teams.    Tryouts were held 

and the most talented were invited to play.  

     One of the most talented players to come out of the league, was a woman 

named Dorothy "Dottie" Kamenshek.   Dottie played for the Rockford Peaches. 

Dottie was acknowledged as the greatest all-around player.   Dottiest was 

described as the "fanciest first baseman that many had ever seen". 

     Dottie and the other ball players were part of the original 

four teams.   These teams began to grow and expanded to 

ten teams across the Midwest.   Up to one million fans came to 

see this exciting game of baseball. 

     There were many rules to follow for the women including 

keeping shoulder length hair, wearing make-up and attending 

charm school.   The women were told to "look like women, but 

play like men".  

     At first many people came to see the team just for laughs 

but many came back because they played good baseball.

      Going to the ballpark was a popular form of entertainment that 

encouraged patriotism throughout the country.   At the beginning of each game, 

the teams formed a "V" for victory followed by the national anthem.    The 

players and teams continued to support the 

war and played exhibition games for 

Red Cross and the armed forces.

     After the war, the league continued.    Attendance peaked in 1948 when ten 

teams attracted 910,000 fans.   However, after that, attendance began to 

decline. 

The shrinking fan base and the the beginning of televised major league games 

took its toll on the AAGPBL.

The decline in woman's baseball was in part due to the rise in other forms of 

recreation for women.   Women were now taking part in other sports.    It was 

also very hard to find talented women baseball players.

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