Ladies of the Diamond: Women’s Professional Baseball during World War II
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League served as inspiration for young women across the country and opened the door further for women’s professional sports.
全美女子职业棒球联盟为全国年轻女性提供了灵感，并进一步为女子职业运动打开了大门。
Top Photo: Vivian Kellogg, catcher for the Fort Wayne Daisies (AAGPBL), awaits a throw as second baseman Marg Callaggah slides safely into home as umpire Norris Ward watches the play during an inter-team practice game in Opalocka, Florida, ca.
上图：韦恩堡雏菊队 (AAGPBL) 的捕手维维安·凯洛格 (Vivian Kellogg) 在佛罗里达州奥帕洛卡举行的一场队际练习赛中，等待投球，二垒手玛格·卡拉加 (Marg Callaggah) 安全滑入本垒，裁判诺里斯·沃德 (Norris Ward) 观看比赛。
April 22, 1948.
1948 年 4 月 22 日。
Wikimedia Commons
维基共享资源
When the Women’s Pro Baseball League (WPBL) began its inaugural season in 2026, it had been 72 years since there was a professional baseball league for women in the United States.
当女子职业棒球联盟 (WPBL) 于 2026 年开始其首个赛季时，美国已经有 72 年没有女子职业棒球联盟了。
Its precursor, which became widely known as the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), began in 1943 and lasted just over a decade.
它的前身是广为人知的全美女子职业棒球联盟 (AAGPBL)，成立于 1943 年，只持续了十多年。
After the United States’ mobilization for World War II, many owners in Major League Baseball (MLB) feared for the future of their teams.
美国动员参加第二次世界大战后，美国职业棒球大联盟 (MLB) 的许多老板都担心自己球队的未来。
The War Department warned that the MLB might be suspended due to the need to support the war effort.
美国陆军部警告称，由于需要支持战争工作，美国职业棒球大联盟可能会暂停。
In fact, over 500 MLB players would eventually be inducted into the US Armed Forces during the war.
事实上，战争期间最终有超过 500 名 MLB 球员加入美国武装部队。
The idea of a professional league for women came from Philip K.
女子职业联赛的想法来自 Philip K.
Wrigley, a chewing gum manufacturer and owner of the Chicago Cubs.
箭牌公司是一家口香糖制造商，也是芝加哥小熊队的老板。
Following the War Department’s directive to hire women in war production factories, Wrigley saw a similar opportunity to keep the public interested in baseball.
在陆军部发出在战争生产工厂雇用女性的指令后，瑞格利看到了一个类似的机会来保持公众对棒球的兴趣。
Dorothy Maguire - Muskegon Lassies.
多萝西·马奎尔 - 马斯基根少女。
Courtesy of The History Museum, South Bend, Indiana
由印第安纳州南本德历史博物馆提供
Although by the fall of 1942 it was clear the MLB would continue its regular seasons throughout the war years, Wrigley had already set the ball in motion.
尽管到 1942 年秋天，美国职业棒球大联盟 (MLB) 显然将在整个战争年代继续其常规赛季，但箭牌已经开始行动。
He devised a plan to create a professional softball league for women and have teams placed in midsize defense industry cities.
他制定了一项计划，创建一个女子职业垒球联盟，并在中型国防工业城市设立球队。
Softball had long been a popular pastime among women in the United States, and by the 1940s, amateur and semi-professional leagues played throughout the country.
垒球长期以来一直是美国女性中流行的消遣活动，到 20 世纪 40 年代，业余和半职业联盟在全国各地开展。
Wrigley outlined the three objectives of the AAGPBL (then the All-American Girls Softball League 1 ):
箭牌概述了 AAGPBL（当时的全美女子垒球联盟 1）的三个目标：
Approved in February 1943, the AAGPBL began preparations for its first season to be held that fall.
AAGPBL 于 1943 年 2 月获得批准，并开始为当年秋季举行的第一赛季做准备。
Wrigley sent scouts out to find the best women softball players in the United States and Canada.
箭牌派出球探去寻找美国和加拿大最好的女子垒球运动员。
An extensive search ensued, and thousands tried out for the league.
随后进行了广泛的搜寻，数千人尝试加入联盟。
If they made the cut, they were invited for a final tryout in Chicago.
如果他们成功晋级，他们将受邀在芝加哥参加最后的选拔赛。
In the end, 75 women were chosen to be part of the league’s first season.
最终，75 名女性被选入联盟第一个赛季。
Four teams were formed: the Kenosha Comets (Wisconsin), the Racine Belles (Wisconsin), the South Bend Blue Sox (Indiana), and the Rockford Peaches (Illinois).
成立了四支球队：基诺沙彗星队（威斯康星州）、拉辛美女队（威斯康星州）、南本德蓝袜队（印第安纳州）和罗克福德桃子队（伊利诺伊州）。
Each team was based within a 100-mile radius of Chicago.
每支球队都驻扎在芝加哥 100 英里半径范围内。
The first two years of the league were run as a nonprofit with Wrigley, Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey, and Chicago Cubs attorney Paul Harper as trustees of the organization.
联盟的前两年是作为非营利组织运营的，箭牌公司、布鲁克林道奇队老板布兰奇·里基和芝加哥小熊队律师保罗·哈珀担任该组织的受托人。
Wrigley named Cubs general manager Ken Sells as the league’s first president to organize and manage its everyday operations.
箭牌任命小熊队总经理肯·塞尔斯为联盟首位组织和管理日常运营的总裁。
The league was funded by each team’s local city guarantors and officials covering half of the projected budget, while Wrigley covered the other half and any overage expenses.
联盟的资金由每支球队的当地城市担保人和官员提供，涵盖了预计预算的一半，而箭牌则承担了另一半以及任何超额费用。
Unlike the MLB, players in the AAGPBL were contracted by the league, rather than their team.
与 MLB 不同，AAGPBL 的球员是由联盟而不是他们的球队签约的。
Every year team managers and league administrative personnel would organize teams by pooling players and evenly distributing them to teams based on their talents.
每年球队经理和联赛管理人员都会通过集中球员并根据他们的天赋平均分配到球队的方式来组织球队。
This way the competition between teams was equally matched and prevented one team from dominating the league each year, which was common in the MLB.
这样球队之间的竞争是平等的，避免了每年都有一支球队称霸联盟，这在MLB中很常见。
The rules of play were also adjusted for the league to increase fan appeal and more closely correspond to baseball.
联盟还对比赛规则进行了调整，以增加球迷吸引力并更贴近棒球。
The number of on-field players was reduced from 10 to nine, pitching distance and base paths were extended, and players were allowed to lead off and steal bases.
上场球员人数从10人减少到9人，投球距离和垒程延长，并且允许球员带球和盗垒。
Throughout the league’s history, the rules would continue to change.
纵观联盟的历史，规则不断变化。
The ball became smaller, the pitching and base path distance increased, and pitching style changed from underhand, first to limited side-arm pitching then to overhand pitching in the last six seasons of the league.
球变得更小，投球和垒程距离增加，投球风格从低手投球，首先到有限的侧臂投球，然后在联盟的最后六个赛季中转变为上手投球。
Wrigley sought to set his women’s league apart from the already existing amateur and semi-pro women’s leagues, which had the reputation of not meeting societal standards of femininity and womanhood.
瑞格利试图将他的女子联赛与现有的业余和半职业女子联赛区分开来，这些联赛因不符合女性气质和女性气质的社会标准而闻名。
As Sells told reporters: “Femininity is the keynote of our League…No pants-wearing, tough-talking female softball [player] will play on any of our four teams.” 3 AAGPBL player Annabelle Lee Harman later stated, “They wanted us to look like ladies and act ladies, but play like men.” 4
正如塞尔斯告诉记者的那样：“女性气质是我们联盟的基调……穿着裤子、说话强硬的女垒球[球员]不会在我们的四支球队中的任何一支上比赛。” 3 AAGPBL 选手安娜贝尔·李·哈曼 (Annabelle Lee Harman) 后来表示，“他们希望我们看起来像女士，表现得像女士，但打球却像男人。” 4
Wrigley enlisted his wife, Helen, poster artist Otis Sheperd, and the first player signed to the league, Ann Harnett, to design new “feminine” uniforms for the league.
箭牌邀请他的妻子海伦、海报艺术家奥蒂斯·谢珀德和第一位签约联盟的球员安·哈内特为联盟设计新的“女性化”队服。
Inspired by the outfits women athletes wore for field hockey, tennis, and figure skating, they developed a one-piece dress with a flared skirt, baseball cap, belt, and knee-high stockings.
受到女运动员曲棍球、网球和花样滑冰服装的启发，他们开发了一款连体连衣裙，配有喇叭裙、棒球帽、腰带和及膝长袜。
Team uniform colors consisted of pastel shades of green, blue, yellow, and peach, with darker-colored trimmings.
球队制服的颜色由柔和的绿色、蓝色、黄色和桃色组成，并带有深色装饰。
Ann Harnett - 1944 Kenosha Comets.
安·哈内特 - 1944 年基诺沙彗星。
Courtesy of The History Museum, South Bend, Indiana
由印第安纳州南本德历史博物馆提供
From its inception, there was an extensive publicity campaign for the AAGPBL promoting its players as representing the highest ideals of American womanhood.
从成立之初，AAGPBL 就开展了广泛的宣传活动，宣传其球员代表美国女性的最高理想。
During spring training, players attended charm school classes every evening after practice.
春训期间，球员们每天晚上训练结束后都会参加魅力学校的课程。
They were taught proper etiquette and posture, how to apply make-up, and how to present themselves both on and off the field.
他们学习正确的礼仪和姿势、如何化妆，以及如何在场内场外展示自己。
Female chaperones were assigned to each team, putting many families of young players moving away on their own at ease.
每支球队都配备了女性监护人，让许多年轻球员的家人放心地独自离开。
A strict off-field code of conduct was enforced; rules included no “boyish” haircuts, no wearing of slacks, no drinking or smoking in public, and a requirement that chaperones must approve all social engagements and living quarters.
执行严格的场外行为准则；规则包括不得留“孩子气”的发型、不得穿休闲裤、不得在公共场合饮酒或吸烟，以及要求监护人必须批准所有社交活动和居住区。
Newspapers also published short biographical sketches of individual players focusing not only on their athletic abilities but also highlighting their family backgrounds, personal interests, and often their domestic skills.
报纸还刊登了个别球员的简短传记，不仅关注他们的运动能力，还强调他们的家庭背景、个人兴趣，通常还强调他们的家庭技能。
Although the All-American Girls were to represent the pinnacle of American womanhood, their presence was to also boost morale and promote patriotic sentiments.
尽管全美女孩代表了美国女性的顶峰，但她们的存在也能鼓舞士气并弘扬爱国情绪。
They hosted exhibition games for the Red Cross and played for and visited veterans stationed at nearby camps and US Army hospitals.
他们为红十字会举办表演赛，为驻扎在附近营地和美国陆军医院的退伍军人比赛并探访他们。
Military personnel were given free admission to league games.
军人可以免费观看联赛。
The league also held an All-Star game at Wrigley Field in July 1943, as part of a Women's Army Corps recruiting rally.
1943 年 7 月，联盟还在瑞格利球场举办了一场全明星赛，作为女子陆军招募集会的一部分。
Dorothy Maguire - 1945 Grand Rapids Chicks.
多萝西·马奎尔 (Dorothy Maguire) - 1945 年大急流城小鸡队。
Courtesy of The History Museum, South Bend, Indiana
由印第安纳州南本德历史博物馆提供
In addition, they gave the public a fun and affordable escape from the worries of what was happening overseas.
此外，它们还为公众提供了一种有趣且经济实惠的方式，让他们摆脱对海外发生的事情的担忧。
One player, Dorothy “Mickey” Maguire, learned of her husband’s death in Italy just minutes before the start of the game.
一名球员，多萝西·“米奇”·马奎尔，在比赛开始前几分钟得知她的丈夫在意大利去世。
Instead of sitting out, Maguire insisted she would carry on as planned and asked that the crowd not be notified of the news until after the game.
马奎尔没有袖手旁观，而是坚称她会按计划继续比赛，并要求比赛结束后才向观众通报这一消息。
Already a popular player in the league, she became a source of courage for fans who had lost or would lose loved ones in the war.
她已经是联盟中受欢迎的球员，她成为在战争中失去或即将失去亲人的球迷的勇气源泉。
The AAGPBL players would also start every game forming a “V” for victory from homebase toward the pitcher’s mound, while the national anthem played as a tribute to the Armed Forces and to unite the crowd.
AAGPBL 球员也会在每场比赛开始时从本垒向投手丘形成“V”形以表示胜利，同时奏国歌以向武装部队致敬并团结观众。
The teams in the AAGPBL played a total of 108 games during their regular season from mid-May to the beginning of September.
AAGPBL 球队从 5 月中旬到 9 月初的常规赛总共打了 108 场比赛。
The top two teams then competed in a series of playoff games to determine the “World Champions of the All-American Girls Base Ball League.” At the end of the 1943 season, the pennant-winner Kenosha Comets were defeated in the five-game series by the Racine Belles, who became the first World Champions of the AAGBBL.
随后，排名前两名的球队将参加一系列季后赛，决出“全美女子棒球联盟世界冠军”。 1943 赛季结束时，锦旗冠军基诺沙彗星队在五场系列赛中被拉辛美女队击败，拉辛美女队成为首届 AAGBBL 世界冠军。
After the success of the league’s first year, two more teams were added to the roster: the Minneapolis Millerettes and the Milwaukee Chicks.
在联盟第一年取得成功后，名单上又增加了两支球队：明尼阿波利斯米勒莱特队和密尔沃基小鸡队。
These two teams were funded solely by Wrigley without the assistance of local officials and businesses.
这两支团队完全由箭牌资助，没有当地官员和企业的协助。
The idea was that these teams would draw larger crowds due to the cities’ increased population.
我们的想法是，由于城市人口的增加，这些球队将吸引更多的人群。
This venture, however, would not be as successful as the original four teams for many reasons.
然而，由于多种原因，这次冒险并没有像最初的四支球队那样成功。
Because Wrigley did not have any local guarantors in Minneapolis and Milwaukee, there were no local businessmen helping to support or promote the league in these cities.
由于箭牌在明尼阿波利斯和密尔沃基没有任何当地担保人，因此这些城市没有当地商人帮助支持或推广联盟。
The media in these larger cities also did not cover the league’s games as closely or favorably as the smaller cities.
这些大城市的媒体也没有像小城市那样密切或有利地报道联赛的比赛。
Furthermore, the local residents had more opportunities for entertainment in larger cities.
此外，当地居民在大城市有更多的娱乐机会。
Dottie Schroeder, catcher, shouting "Play Ball" behind the mask, promotional photo, circa April 22, 1948.
捕手多蒂·施罗德 (Dottie Schroeder) 在面具后大喊“打球”，宣传照片，拍摄于 1948 年 4 月 22 日左右。
Wikimedia Commons
维基共享资源
The stadiums used in Minneapolis and Milwaukee also served as a hindrance to the teams’ success.
明尼阿波利斯和密尔沃基使用的体育场也成为球队成功的障碍。
The fields were larger because they were where the American Association Baseball Club (men’s minor league) played.
场地更大，因为它们是美国棒球俱乐部（男子小联盟）比赛的地方。
This not only impeded the female players’ performance and ability to accomplish feats such as over-the-fence-homeruns but also caused distance between the players and their fans.
这不仅影响了女选手的表现和完成越界本垒打等壮举的能力，而且还造成了女选手与粉丝之间的距离。
In the smaller cities, fans were able to sit close to the fields and dugouts and interact with the players, creating more camaraderie.
在较小的城市，球迷们可以坐在靠近球场和休息室的地方，与球员互动，建立更多的友情。
Both teams would be moved to smaller cities the following season.
下个赛季，两支球队都将搬到较小的城市。
The Millerettes became the Fort Wayne Daisies in Indiana, and the Milwaukee Chicks became the Grand Rapids Chicks in Michigan.
米勒雷特队 (Millerettes) 更名为印第安纳州的韦恩堡雏菊队 (Fort Wayne Daisies)，密尔沃基小鸡队 (Milwaukee Chicks) 更名为密歇根州的大急流城小鸡队 (Grand Rapids Chicks)。
At the end of the 1944 season, with the war likely coming to a close, Wrigley sold the league to his advertising agent, Arthur Meyerhoff.
1944 年赛季结束时，战争可能即将结束，箭牌将联盟卖给了他的广告经纪人阿瑟·迈耶霍夫 (Arthur Meyerhoff)。
Under Meyerhoff’s leadership, the League Board of Directors was formed with representatives from each team, allowing each franchise to have a say in league rules and regulations.
在梅耶霍夫的领导下，联盟董事会由各球队的代表组成，允许每支球队在联盟规则和条例中拥有发言权。
The AAGPBL continued to prosper even after the end of World War II.
即使在第二次世界大战结束后，AAGPBL 仍然继续繁荣。
Minor leagues were created, traveling post-season games were played, and by the end of 1948, the league had reached its peak with 10 teams and an attendance record of 910,00 fans turning out in one season.
小联盟成立了，并进行了巡回赛，到 1948 年底，联盟达到了顶峰，拥有 10 支球队，单赛季观众人数达到 910,000 人次。
Unfortunately, this was the beginning of the end for the league.
不幸的是，这是联盟终结的开始。
In 1950, team directors purchased the league from Meyerhoff and chose to operate their teams individually.
1950年，球队董事从迈耶霍夫手中购买了联盟，并选择单独运营自己的球队。
This decision decentralized the league.
这一决定将联盟权力下放。
There was no longer a united body to promote the league, procure new talent, or ensure the players were equally distributed between the teams.
不再有一个统一的机构来促进联盟、招募新人才或确保球员在球队之间平均分配。
Moreover, by this time the league was closer to the game of baseball than softball, and most new players required training.
而且，此时的联盟比垒球更接近于棒球比赛，大多数新球员都需要训练。
Finances were declining, and team owners could not afford to send players to rookie training or even properly advertise national recruitment.
财务状况不断恶化，球队老板无力派遣球员参加新秀训练，甚至无法适当地宣传全国招募。
1950s South Bend Blue Sox Team Photograph, Courtesy of The History Museum, South Bend, Indiana
1950 年代南本德蓝袜队照片，由印第安纳州南本德历史博物馆提供
The league’s fan base dwindled in its later years, and by 1952 there were only six teams left.
联盟的球迷基础在晚年逐渐减少，到 1952 年只剩下 6 支球队。
The following year, another team was dropped, and by 1954, the last five teams folded due to low attendance rates.
次年，另一支球队被解散，到了 1954 年，最后五支球队因上座率低而解散。
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League served as inspiration for young women across the country and opened the door further for women’s professional sports.
全美女子职业棒球联盟为全国年轻女性提供了灵感，并进一步为女子职业运动打开了大门。
The League went through multiple name changes throughout its history.
联盟在其历史上经历了多次更名。
However, due to the efforts of former players in 1987, it has been officially recognized historically as the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
然而，由于1987年前球员的努力，它历史上被正式承认为全美女子职业棒球联盟。
Merrie A.
梅里·A.
Fidler, The Origins and History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (McFarland and Company, 2006), 33.
Fidler，《全美女子职业棒球联盟的起源和历史》（麦克法兰公司，2006 年），33。
“First All-Women Softball League Takes Over in Chicago.” The Daily Worker, May 17, 1943.
“首届女子垒球联赛在芝加哥举行。” 《工人日报》，1943 年 5 月 17 日。
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1144074302/?match=2&terms=%22All%20American%20Girls%20SoftBall%20League%22
https://www.newspapers.com/image/1144074302/?match=2&terms=%22All%20American%20Girls%20SoftBall%20League%22
Merrie A.
梅里·A.
Fidler, The Origins and History of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (McFarland and Company, 2006), 36.
Fidler，《全美女子职业棒球联盟的起源和历史》（麦克法兰公司，2006 年），36。
Marisa Primeaux is a research assistant at The National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
玛丽莎·普里莫克斯 (Marisa Primeaux) 是新奥尔良国家二战博物馆的研究助理。
Joseph R.
约瑟夫·R。
Beyrle's experience captures the initiative demanded of airborne soldiers, the brutality endured by prisoners of war, and the unlikely battlefield cooperation between American and Soviet soldiers during the final months of the war.
拜尔的经历体现了空降兵所需要的主动性、战俘所遭受的残酷以及战争最后几个月美国和苏联士兵之间不太可能的战场合作。
In the letter, Major Richard “Dick” Winters responded to Stephen Ambrose's request for his thoughts on the strain of command, the problems he faced during the war, and the living conditions his soldiers endured.
在信中，理查德·“迪克”·温特斯少校回应了斯蒂芬·安布罗斯关于他对指挥压力、他在战争期间面临的问题以及他的士兵所忍受的生活条件的看法的请求。
What emerged was also a concise explanation of Winters’s leadership philosophy.
随之而来的是对温特斯领导哲学的简洁解释。
At The National WWII Museum, remembering the anniversary of September 11 means remembering all those who perished that day and recognizing the many different stories they carried with them.
在国家二战博物馆，纪念 9 月 11 日的周年纪念意味着纪念那天所有遇难的人，并认识到他们所承载的许多不同的故事。
During World War II, ship names often referenced earlier eras of American history.
第二次世界大战期间，舰艇名称经常引用美国历史的早期时期。
Today, the US Navy continues its efforts to memorialize the country’s origins by upholding naming traditions that hark back more than 160 years.
如今，美国海军继续努力维护 160 多年前的命名传统，以纪念国家的起源。
Initially, hell ships moved Allied POWs to areas where their labor was needed, such as the Japanese main islands and other recently conquered regions, but later, they also moved prisoners to prevent them from being liberated by advancing Allied forces.
最初，地狱船将盟军战俘转移到需要他们劳动力的地区，例如日本主岛和其他最近征服的地区，但后来，它们也转移囚犯，以防止他们被前进的盟军解放。
A product of post Great War naval treaties and launched amid rising global tensions, the USS New Orleans forged a bond with its namesake city in the years before World War II
新奥尔良号航空母舰是一战后海军条约的产物，在全球紧张局势不断升级的情况下下水，在第二次世界大战前的几年里与同名城市建立了联系
A surplus of Army rations and goodwill helped improve the lives of many Europeans impoverished by World War II.
过剩的陆军口粮和善意帮助改善了许多因二战而陷入贫困的欧洲人的生活。
945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 info@nationalww2museum.org 504-528-1944
945 Magazine Street, 新奥尔良, LA 70130 info@nationalww2museum.org 504-528-1944