Country most active: United States
The following is republished from the US National Archives. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was formed in 1943 at the height of World War II with the intention to help offset possible revenue loss and keep baseball in the public eye. The league was in operation from 1943 to 1954 and is considered the precursor of women’s professional league sports in the United States. The league grew from 4 teams to 10 with attendance peaking at over 900,000 and gave some 600 female athletes the opportunity to play professional baseball for the first time. The Rockford Peaches, a founding member of the league, won a record four championships and are the most well-known team thanks to the 1992 film A League of Their Own.