The Role of Women in Baseball During WWII

During World War II, pretty much all able-bodied American men were sent to war, which meant that sports entertainment had a lot to suffer. Professional sports appeared to be one of the most affected “actors”. Phillip Wrigley (yes, that Wrigley that also created the chewing gum empire) also owned the Chicago Cubs baseball club during that time. He was one of the first people to express their concern regarding the state of things in professional baseball because of the heavy army drafting of men. And he actually did something about it. He was afraid that professional baseball would collapse and decided to create a girls' baseball league that would play at a professional level.

The Rise And Fall Of The All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League

The league was called The All-American Girls’ Professional Baseball League and it was created in 1943. It was a mix of baseball and softball and it employed women from both the US and Canada. The popularity and fame of this peculiar league made of women exclusively became even larger in League popularity continued to grow in the following years. Once soldiers started being reintegrated into the society at the end of the war, the women's league was disbanded in 1954.

The women's league consisted of teams of fifteen players, along with a coach, a manager and a female chaperone that accompanied players during all games. The league was also supported by fans interested in forgetting about the harsh war conditions through various forms of entertainment. Since their number was severely limited during WWII, the women's baseball league quickly turned into one of the main points of attraction for most spectators and sports fans alike. They were able to continue to express their love for the country and they were forming the letter V for victory on the field, during events, while the national anthem was played. It was definitely a good distraction from the war, a patriotic one, but it represented so much more than that. The genuine talent that female baseball players showed they were capable of was the thing that basically attracted so many fans to their games. Women had already started to migrate into cities and accept the jobs of their husbands and fathers who were proving their patriotism in the war. Embracing a manly sport was, therefore, not that difficult for them. The press of the time showed its particular interest for this unique shift of responsibility.

Gambling Kept Soldiers Entertained During World War II

While baseball was the all-time favorite sport in the US during World War II, soldiers had to find new resources to keep themselves entertained and keep their levels of stress as low as possible. Gambling became a highly appreciated activity in military circles, especially during downtime, while waiting for new orders to come or going on patrols.

The quick flutter of card games was pretty much all that soldiers had at hand, and they made the most of it, every time they could. Chocolate, cigars and lavatory service duties were the main stakes they played for. Since joining the military is a risky behavior in itself, most of the soldiers were already used to gambling, be it their life or a pack of smokes. While the games of Blackjack and Craps gained their indisputable popularity during World War I, thanks to American GIs who introduced the games to Europeans, World War II made slot machines truly popular. Clubs over-the-sea were hosting dozens of slot machines for passionate soldiers. Today, US soldiers can get access to around 10,000 video poker and slot machines out of the US. The machines bring a profit of approximately $150 million on a yearly basis and they are used for covering the upkeep of the clubs. Slots are particularly popular among soldiers and other members of the military since they can also be played for free or for extremely small stakes.

But it's not only people in the military who find pleasure and a source of relaxation in playing games in general. With the advent of technology and the introduction of smartphones good enough to hold games, gambling has become much more accessible than it was during World War II and top sites fight over which will offer the highest quality experiences and rewarding promotions – so why not take advantage of it all? After all, it’s soon 2020!