Not often I am stumped in my 1st grade class but....help?

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Posted By: J Levine

Okay...slightly OT post but we have studied Jackie Robinson in my first grade class and the integration of baseball. Today, I grabbed a great 1st grade book off my shelf called "Players in Pigtails" about the All-American Girls Profession Baseball League. One of my kids then asks if the AAGPBL was integrated when Jackie broke the barrier in 1947. At the end of the book is an author's note that gives a brief history of the AAGPBL and mentions the league did not start off integrated. I thought this was not only an amazing question for a 7 year old but was interesting in itself. A quick search brought about the results that the AAGPBL was never integrated although their "minor league" teams were (Toni Stone).

My question to the baseball experts is this...is there a reason the AAGPBL was not integrated? Was Wrigley behind that or was it written into the bylaws? I am surprised that it was not accepting of black athletes all the way through until 1954 when it folded!

Joshua

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Posted By: Cat

I don't have an answer but it is a great excuse to post this scene...one of my favorites ---->

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGQ-ISsDm8M

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Unflatteringly, the white women's leagues would have excluded backs for the same reason the white men's leagues did.

It's an interesting angle to bring up. One person's feminism is another's racism.