During World War II, thousands of American men enlisted in the military following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Many prominent baseball players also enlisted, including Ted Williams, who twice won the Triple Crown after returning from service. To replace the players who enlisted and keep baseball thriving, the All American Girls Professional Baseball League was formed featuring women players. Additionally, some replacement players were signed from other leagues instead of integrating players from the Negro Leagues.

1. Baseball During World

2. Introduction
This presentation will discuss a few issues
and attitudes of Americans surrounding
baseball during World War II
Thousands of American enlisted into the
military in the days after the Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii

3. Instructions
At the Timeline slides, just click on the All
American
shape at the bottom to skip ahead to a Girls
Profession
al
different section Baseball
Just click on the
or arrow to follow
along
When you are finished with each line, just
click the mouse to advance to the next
line or slide.
To return to this
slide at any
point, just click
this icon

4. Ted Williams
All
American
The Green
Ted Girls Baseball and
Replacemen
Light
Williams Profession 9/11/01
t Players
al
Letter
Baseball

5. In 1942
Williams
enlisted in
the Navy as
a Pilot

6. “He mastered intricate
problems in fifteen
minutes which took the
average cadet an hour
and half of the other
cadets there were
college grads.“ –
Seen here together, Ted Williams and Johnny Pesky
teammate and fellow
were teammates on the Red Sox, fought together in
World War II, and remained friends for life. Cadet Johnny Pesky

7. Ted Williams was twice voted as
the Most Valuable Player in the
American League
Williams won Baseball’s Triple Crown
(home runs, batting average, and runs
batted in) in 1942 and 1947 after returning
from the war

8. Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, Warren
Spahn, Yogi Berra, Pee Wee Reese, Phil
Rizzutto, Bob Feller and Hank Greenberg
were some All Stars among many other
players who enlisted in the Armed Forces
and fight in the war.

9. Quiz
What are the three categories for
baseball’s triple crown?
CLICK FOR ANSWER
Triple Crown of Baseball
Home Runs, Runs Batted In (RBI), Batting
Average

10. What does the word “enlisted” mean?
CLICK FOR ANSWER
Enlisted:
Signing up for military service

11. Opinion Question
Why do you think Ted Williams and so many
other baseball players chose to stop their
baseball careers to enlist in the war?
Click for Quote:
“We were losing the war,” said Hall of Fame
pitcher, Bob Feller. “We needed heroes.” Feller
enlisted the day after the attack on Pearl
Harbor.

12. All American Girls
Professional Baseball
League
All-
American
The Green
Ted Girls Baseball and
Replacemen
Light
Williams Profession 9/11/01
t Players
al
Letter
Baseball

13. The All American
Girls Professional
Baseball League
started in 1943
when most of the
men were fighting in
the war.

14. William Wrigley founded the AAGPBL
because it was assumed that Major
League Baseball would be suspended
during the war.

15. Despite the fact that
the MLB continued
during the war, the
AAGPBL gained in
popularity every year
until the war ended.
The league folded in
1954.

16. The Rockford
Peaches were the
most successful
AAGPBL League
started in 1943
when most of the
men were fighting
The players wore dresses and high
in the war, winning socks, which did not protect their legs
when sliding into bases
championships in They were instructed “to look like
1945, 1948, 1949, ladies and play like men.”
1950

17. Quiz
True or False: The All American Girls
Professional Baseball League when
World War II ended.
CLICK FOR ANSWER
False:
Attendance was actually pretty good
even after the war ended and the men
returned to play. The AAGPBL lasted
for 11 years before folding.

18. The Green Light Letter
Women’s
The Green
Ted Profession Replacemen
Light
Williams al t Players
Baseball
Letter

19. On January 14, 1942, Major League
Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw
Mountain Landis wrote a letter to
President Franklin D. Roosevelt regarding
the continuation of baseball during the
war, called the Green Light Letter.

20. President Roosevelt responds "I honestly
feel that it would be best for the country to
keep baseball going. There will be fewer
people unemployed and everybody will
work longer hours and harder than ever
before. And that means that they ought to
have a chance for recreation and for
taking their minds off their work even more
than before."

21. Attending baseball games was a
community building event. Fans turned out
in large numbers during the war
Many baseball games featured fundraising
events which went towards supporting the
war.

22. Quiz
Question for consideration:
What reasons would you have kept baseball
going in a time of world war?

23. Replacement Players and
the Negro League
Replacemen
Women’s
The Green t Players
Ted Profession
Light and the
Williams al
Letter Negro
Baseball
League

24. Rather than
integrate the
Negro League
players in with
Major League
Baseball, owners
decided to sign
replacement white
players who were
not able to fight Josh Gibson is regarded as the finest
nor good enough player in the Negro Leagues. People
who saw him play compare him to
to play at the Babe Ruth because of his
transcendent talent. Click here for web
Major League page about Josh Gibson.

25. Over 500
major league
and more
than 2,000
minor league
baseball
players
enlisted into
the armed
forces.

26. Despite the fact
that many skilled
African American
baseball players
were playing in
the Negro
League, players
like Gray were
used in the Major
Pete Gray lost his right arm in an
Leagues. accident, but was an outfielder for the St.
Louis Browns Gray bat and fielded one
handed.
Click to watch a video of Pete Gray

27. Questions for consideration
Why do you think that the owners of Major
League teams chose not to select players
from the Negro Leagues?

28. Sources
• American Veterans Center
• Studyofsports.com

29. End Slide