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Major League Baseball got off to a rough start in America in the 1940s. The series “A League of Their Own” picks up on their stories.
women have im Baseball Nothing is lost – among others, Abbi Jacobson and Roberta Colindrez (“The Deuce”) fight against this prejudice in the new Amazon-Prime-Series “A League of Their Own”. It is based on true events: In the fall of 1942, when the majority of American baseball players second World War fight against the Germans, there is a lack of good players at home. The league is losing. Chewing gum mogul Philipp K. Wrigley, who owns the Chicago Cubs men’s baseball team, came up with the idea of recruiting women for the sport, which is particularly popular in the USA. In 1943, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was formed. After a rather bumpy start, the league is on the road to success: in 1948, more than 900,000 spectators watch the games of the 15 teams.
Cult film “A class of its own” serves as a template
As early as 1992, director Penny Marshall took up the story of America’s baseball women: “A class of their own” tells in a touching and funny way how the baseball players in the mid-1940s played their way into the hearts of the initially very skeptical fans. The background story is closely linked to the different fates of the players, who all rub shoulders with the narrow social conventions of the time. Among other things Geena DavisLori Petty, Rosie O’Donnell und Madonna slip into the roles of the players. The latter also contributed the title song to the film with “This Used to Be My Playground”. Tom Hanks mimics the drunken ex-professional Jimmy Dugan, who is supposed to coach the women’s team of the “Rockford Peaches”. The film was very successful in the 90s. Penny Marshall has since been considered a pioneer by critics, the other female directors the Way in Hollywood paved.
Initially skeptical, soon fully committed: Tom Hanks slips into the role of trainer Jimmy Dugan. He gets support from Catcherin Geena Davis (r.)
According to the creators, the new Amazon Prime series is not a classic remake. “A League of Their Own” is said to offer a “fresh approach” and introduce new characters. The topic should not only be about the gender inequality that prevailed at the time, but also about racism and Homophobia – both topics that didn’t find a place in the 1992 original.
The 95-year-old ex-player Maybelle “Mae” Blair, who had played for the “All-American Girls Professional Baseball League” from 1948, was brought in as an advisor. At a promotional event earlier this year, Blair surprisingly announced her coming out. “I’ve been in hiding for 75, 85 years. This is actually the first time I’ve ever come out,” she said in a video the series crew shared on Instagram.
Blair’s personal experiences have inspired the series’ storylines. Among other things, there is said to be an Afro-American player in “A League of Their Own” who is transsexual. In Blair’s time, being open about one’s sexuality was taboo. Female athletes who were open about their homosexuality, such as tennis legend Billie Jean King (see picture gallery), were attacked.
Late recognition for women baseball pioneers
In the 1950s, baseball was considered unfeminine, ultimately leading to the league’s decline in popularity. In 1954 it was dissolved. It wasn’t until more than 40 years later that the baseball pioneers found late recognition when they were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Nevertheless, even today there can still be no question of genuine equality. In addition to prejudice that they cannot play, the women have to be satisfied with a significantly lower salary. Studies show that athletes in the US have the largest gender pay gap.
It is unclear whether this topic will also be addressed in the new Amazon Prime series. In any case, before the international start on August 12, 2022, almost no details of the content were leaked. So it remains exciting.
