Documentary explores Michigan women in baseball during World War II

When thinking about professional baseball in Michigan, team names like the Detroit Tigers or West Michigan Whitecaps may sound more familiar than the Grand Rapids Chicks or Muskegon Lassies. That’s because the latter are names of lesser-known women’s baseball teams that competed in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) during World War II.

A new documentary, which has been developed over the past 10 years by Grand Valley students, faculty, staff and alumni, aims to educate audiences about the AAGPBL and its impact on women in sports.

“A Team of Their Own: The First Professional Baseball League for Women,” which was produced by the GVSU Veterans History Project, includes interviews with more than 40 women who played in the AAGPBL. The women describe their careers, from learning how to play baseball to tryouts, while also reflecting on the overall impact of the league in regard to women in sports.

“Many of these women were very young when they entered the league, and there they were at the age of 15 or 16 doing something that was virtually unheard of for grown women to do,” said James Smither, co-producer and GVSU Veterans History Project director. “They tell their stories in ways that all sorts of people will find engaging, and may be particularly meaningful for girls and young women wanting to do things that go beyond what most people think they should be doing, or are capable of doing.”

Smither added that the documentary will travel across the U.S. to screen in most of the cities where AAGPBL teams played. There will be three screenings in West Michigan:

Wednesday, October 21, at 7 p.m.
Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus

Thursday, October 29, at 6 p.m.
Celebration! Cinema Carousel, Muskegon

Tuesday, November 10, at 6:30 p.m.
Grand Rapids Public Museum

The AAGPBL, developed by former Chicago Cubs’ owner Philip K. Wrigley in 1943, existed for 12 years. The Grand Rapids Chicks played in Michigan from 1945 until the league folded in 1954. The team won the league championship in 1953 and played most of their games next to the old Grand Rapids South High School. The Muskegon Lassies joined the league in 1946 before relocating and becoming the Kalamazoo Lassies in 1950.

The GVSU Veterans History Project was established in 2006 to serve as an archiving and collecting partner with the Library of Congress. Under the direction of Smither, and with assistance from area schools, libraries, museums and historical societies, the university has undertaken several projects to collect and preserve the stories of U.S. veterans, as well as other participants in, or witnesses to, the American experience during times of war. 

For more information, contact Andrea Lenneman, GVSU Veterans History Project public relations and event coordinator, at [email protected] or visit www.gvsu.edu/wibdoc.