Baseball During World War II

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

InstructionsAt the Timeline slides, just click on the shape at the bottom to skip ahead to a different section

or

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

Just click on the arrow to follow

along

All American

Girls Profession

alBaseball

All American

Girls Profession

alBaseball

Baseball and 9/11/01

Ted Williams

Ted Williams

The Green Light Letter

Replacement Players

In 1942 Williams enlisted in the Navy as a Pilot

“He mastered intricate problems in fifteen minutes which took the average cadet an hour and half of the other cadets there were college grads.“ – teammate and fellow Cadet Johnny Pesky

Seen here together, Ted Williams and Johnny Pesky were teammates on the Red Sox, fought together in World War II, and remained friends for life.

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

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.

Quiz

What are the three categories for baseball’s triple crown?

CLICK FOR ANSWERTriple Crown of Baseball

Home Runs, Runs Batted In (RBI), Batting Average

What does the word “enlisted” mean?CLICK FOR ANSWER

Enlisted:Signing up for military service

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.

Opinion Question

All-American

Girls Profession

alBaseball

Baseball and 9/11/01

All American Girls Professional Baseball

League

Ted Williams

The Green Light Letter

Replacement Players

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

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

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.

The Rockford Peaches were the most successful AAGPBL League started in 1943 when most of the men were fighting in the war, winning championships in 1945, 1948, 1949, 1950

The players wore dresses and high socks, which did not protect their legs when sliding into basesThey were instructed “to look like ladies and play like men.”

True or False: The All American Girls Professional Baseball League when World War II ended.

CLICK FOR ANSWERFalse:

Attendance was actually pretty good even after the war ended and the men returned to play.

The AAGPBL lasted for 11 years before folding.

Quiz

Women’s Profession

alBaseball

Replacement Players

The Green Light Letter

Ted Williams

The Green Light Letter

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.

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."

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

Quiz

Question for consideration:What reasons would you have kept

baseball going in a time of world war?

Women’s Profession

alBaseball

The Green Light Letter

Replacement Players and the Negro

League

Replacement Players and the Negro League

Ted Williams

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 nor good enough to play at the Major League level.

Josh Gibson is regarded as the finest player in the Negro Leagues. People who saw him play compare him to Babe Ruth because of his transcendent talent. Click here for web page about Josh Gibson.

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

Despite the fact that many skilled African American baseball players were playing in the Negro League, players like Gray were used in the Major Leagues.

Pete Gray lost his right arm in an accident, but was an outfielder for the St. Louis Browns Gray bat and fielded one handed.

Click to watch a video of Pete Gray

Questions for consideration

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

Sources• American Veterans Center• Studyofsports.com

End Slide