Women in Professional Sport

Women in Professional Sport

A Brief History and Contemporary Challenges

I. Early Professional Sport for Women

Tennis offered one of the earliest opportunities --Charles “Cash and Carry” Pyle Women and professional rodeo --Tad Lucas Women and professional golf --LPGA (1949)

II

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League

First night game played at Wrigley Field: 1943 women’s all-star game Founder: Philip K. Wrigley Adapting the popular sport of women’s softball

II

The AAGPBL (cont.)

Wrigley’s Management Team --Branch Rickey The Search for Ballparks Original four teams: South Bend Blue Sox, Rockford Peaches, Racine Belles, Kenosha Comets Hybrid of softball and baseball played

II

The AAGPBL (cont.)

Search for players The distinctive design of player uniforms Spring Training: practice by day, Charm School at night Rules of Conduct Player chaperones

II

The AAGPBL (cont.)

Women’s Professional Baseball game evolved over time Unique challenges for team managers Experimenting with Women’s Baseball in Major League Parks --Minneapolis Millerettes and Milwaukee Chicks

II

The AAGPBL (cont.)

Wrigley sells the League to Arthur Meyerhoff in 1944 Over one million in attendance in 1948 Women players as good as men? The downfall of the League by 1954 Fort Wayne Daisies dominated the League in final years

III

Individual Women’s Sports Pioneers

Sonja Henie Esther Williams Strictly speaking, neither woman engaged in professional sport; they participated in athletic exhibitions, not competitions Babe Didrikson --AP Female Athlete of the Year six times

IV

The Era of Growth

1960’s and 1970’s were pivotal periods in the growth of women’s professional sports Prize money in golf and tennis grew dramatically in the 1970’s

IV

The Era of Growth (cont.)

Gains of earlier years solidified in 1980’s and 1990’s --Monica Seles earned $6 million in 1998 in endorsements Creation of a viable women’s professional basketball league --First WNBA game in Los Angeles in June of 1997

V. The Present Status of Women’s Professional Sports

Still enormous disparity between the magnitude of men’s and women’s professional sport Women underrepresented in administrative posts in professional sport

V. Present Status (cont

Continuing ambivalence about gender roles, if not outright sexism 1999 U.S. Women’s Soccer team wins World Cup No pay increase for team players despite their victory