During World War II, thousands of Americans enlisted in the military after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Many famous baseball players like Ted Williams also enlisted, putting their baseball careers on hold. To replace the players who went to war, the All American Girls Professional Baseball League was formed, featuring women players. The league gained popularity but eventually folded after the war ended. The commissioner also sent a "Green Light Letter" allowing baseball to continue as a morale boost on the home front. Some Negro League players got opportunities in the major leagues as replacement players during this time as well.

1. Baseball in America
During World War II

2. Instructions All
American
At the Timeline slides, just click on the
Girls
Profession
al
Baseball
at the bottom to skip ahead to a
different section
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
To returnline or slide.
to this
slide at any point,
just click this icon

3. Introduction
This presentation will discuss
key events and attitudes of
Americans surrounding
baseball during World War II.

4. Introduction
Thousands of American enlisted into the
military in the days after the Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

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

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

7. “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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

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

11. What do you think the word
“enlisted” means?
CLICK FOR ANSWER
Enlisted:
Signing up for military service

12. 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.

13. 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

14. The All American
Girls Professional
Baseball League
(AAGPB) started in
1943 when most of
the men were
fighting in the war.

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

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

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

20. 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.

21. 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."

22. Attending baseball games was a
community building event. Fans turned out
in large numbers.
Many baseball games featured fundraising
events in support of the war.

23. Quiz
Question for consideration:
If you were the commissioner of baseball
back then, would you have kept baseball
going in a time of world war?

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

25. 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.

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

27. 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 accident,
Leagues. but was an outfielder for the St. Louis
Browns Gray bat and fielded one handed.
Click to watch a video of Pete Gray

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

29. Sources
• American Veterans Center
• Studyofsports.com

30. End Slide