Jan 15, 1942-
Baseball faced a significant challenge as millions of American men were drafted into military service. There was uncertainty about whether professional sports, especially baseball, should be suspended during wartime. This issue was not new; fifteen years earlier, the U.S. government had issued a "Work or Fight" order requiring men of draft age to either serve in the military or work in a war-essential job. Baseball was not considered essential, which meant that players faced pressure to leave the sport. Prominent players like Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb, and George Sisler enlisted or were drafted into the military during WWI. As a result, the quality of play declined somewhat because teams had to fill their rosters with older players or those not eligible for service. Ultimately, the 1918 MLB season ended early, with the regular season concluding in early September and the World Series played shortly afterward.
To prevent a repetition of past issues, Commissioner of Baseball Kenesaw Mountain Landis sought guidance from President Franklin Roosevelt. In response, Roosevelt wrote the famous "Green Light" letter to Landis, encouraging the continuation of baseball to help maintain national morale during challenging times. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt also made a significant contribution by quoting her illustrious predecessor, Abigail Adams: "Remember the Ladies." This statement, in particular, paved the way for greater inclusivity in sports and led to the creation of the All-American Professional Baseball League (AAPBL). For the first time, women were given the opportunity to compete alongside men in professional baseball. As "Baseball for All" gained momentum, Dorothy "Dottie" Wiltse made her debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers, pitching five shutouts in her first season.
Female players were initially ridiculed by the press and fans but gradually earn respect for their skills--especially in pitching, fielding, and base running. Instead of excluding women after the war, the momentum from the Civil Rights Movement and early feminist activism supported continued co-ed participation. By 1955, nearly 20 percent of the rosters in the AAPBL comprised women, many of whom excelled in positions that required finesse, speed, and tactical intelligence - such as pitchers, second basemen, and outfielders. The visibility of successful women in baseball paved the way for the introduction of Title IX in 1965. Nine years later, Maria Clemente, a Cuban-American outfielder, became the first woman to win a Triple Crown.
State ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) would soon follow, ensuring equal rights for all citizens, regardless of their gender, under the law. Meanwhile, the sports world sees baseball as a model for co-ed play; by the 2000s, other sports experiment with integration, especially in golf, tennis doubles, and e-sports. Gender roles in American society shifted with the feminist movement receiving broader bipartisan support post-1960s. "Baseball for All" has become not just a slogan but a core part of American identity.
Author's Note:
In reality, many fans and United States citizens did not support Franklin Roosevelt's decision at the time and wrote "Red Light" letters to the White House. Nevertheless, the Chicago Sun called the "Green Light" letter, "the most notable contribution to baseball in our time." Meanwhile, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was passed by Congress in 1972, but it has not been ratified by the required three-quarters of the states and is not part of the Constitution.
Provine's Addendum:
FDR's call to bring women into sports seemed like a simple echo of the Rosie the Riveter role as women filled much-needed jobs in factories and construction. There were others who argued women should have a league of their own, but necessity quieted them, and by the end of the war, the women refused to leave the league just as they did their newfound economic freedom. Baseball quickly integrated along racial lines, too, with Jackie Robinson in 1947. Basketball and other sports, eager to get attention from a more national scale, followed suit with female and black players. Professional football lagged behind as a "rougher" sport where numerous linesmen feared they couldn't hit a woman, but it, too, soon integrated with impressive female kickers first in high school and college teams soon going pro. From time to time, far-right conservatives call for a return to segregated sports, but they are frequently blips laughed off in the face of obvious athletes from every background and gender, even transgender as a moot point. A few informal "womens-only" and "mens-only" leagues do exist, but these are largely for local amateur play.