The Real Women Behind "A League of Their Own"
The Takeaway
English - August 12, 2022 23:43 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MB - ★★★★★ - 13 ratingsDaily News News Politics news politics radio national takeaway wnyc Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was created in 1943 during World War II, as many of the male athletes were fighting abroad. Until it ended in 1954, the league provided women with an opportunity to play a professional sport for a decent salary. The league was the inspiration for the 1992 film A League of Their Own, and now it's getting a reboot as a new television series, also called A League of Their Own.
We speak with historian Kat Williams, professor of women's history at Marshall University and the president of the International Women's Baseball Center, about the women who inspired A League of Their Own and legacy of the AAGPBL.
Then we hear from 95-year-old Maybelle Blair, a former player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League about her life, career, and working as a consultant on the new TV series.