 Popsugar Reading Challenge category: A book about women's sports, and/or by a woman athlete
Women in Baseball: the Forgotten History, by Gai Ingham Berlage Most of us know the "League of Her Own" story of women's baseball during World War II. This book delves into less familiar territory, including baseball teams at elite women's colleges in the late 1800s. (Imagine sliding into home in those long dresses.) The schools emphasized socializing, and downplayed competitiveness, to make it seem more ladylike. In the early 1900s, there were a few women who played on men's teams, though some were mainly viewed as novelties. The first woman umpire escaped some of the abuse that umpires typically endured, as it was considered improper to curse in front of a woman in that era. More recent woman umpires have had to endure sexual harassment. The author profiles an interesting assortment of players, umpires, and a team owner. She also discusses the 1974 court decision that opened up Little League to girls, but she repeatedly bemoans girls being "shunted" into softball rather than baseball. The book came out in 1994, before women's softball had reached its current popularity, but even so I couldn't figure out why the author was so consistently negative toward softball.
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