AI Summary
5 min read“A thousand boyfriends just dropped their sandwiches hearing me say that,” Sarah Marshall says, after mangling a basic explanation of baseball innings. She is talking with Julie Kliegman, author of Finding Renée Richards, about the long, uneven history of women in baseball—a history that, despite the beloved 1992 film A League of Their Own, is far from a straight line of progress. The conversation moves from the mechanics of the sport itself to the forgotten queer players of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the brief integration of women into the Negro Leagues, and the scrappy, uncertain present of women’s pro baseball.
What Baseball Actually Is (and Why It Matters)
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Introduction & Guest Welcome** - Sarah introduces Julie Kliegman and her new book, *Finding Renee Richards*.
- 2 (06:26) **The World War II League: A League of Their Own** - Julie explains that WWII created the opportunity for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL).
- 3 (10:00) **Baseball vs. Softball: A Critical Distinction** - The hosts clarify the key technical differences between the two sports and why they are not interchangeable.
- 4 (20:13) **Early History & The Negro Leagues** - Julie traces the earliest known women's baseball teams and the opportunities for Black women in the sport.
- 5 (31:14) **Analyzing "A League of Their Own" (1992)** - A critical look at the film's narrative focus and what it omits about the real history.
- 6 (38:49) **The 2022 TV Series & Correcting the Record** - Julie contrasts the 1992 film with the 2022 Amazon Prime series of the same name.
- 7 (42:43) **The Threat of Female Athleticism** - The hosts discuss why some men feel threatened by women excelling in "male" sports.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Could there be a little crying in baseball as a treat? Sports correspondent Julie Kliegman is here to tell Sarah about the history of women’s baseball and softball and to finally teach her the rules of the game. From the days when women played alongside men, to the first women’s team in the 1940s, to the sexist rules placed on their teams, and the impressive modern players that are changing the game, they discuss the past and present through the lens of the 1992 film A League of Their Own. Together they try to follow the sport around what Sarah calls the Crazy Straw of Progress and around a loving baseball diamond that has long led the players home. Digressions include the imaginary Supreme Court case Woman v. Horse, Fried Green Tomatoes, and gym parachute week.
More Julie Kliegman:
https://www.juliekliegman.com/
Pre-order a signed copy of Julie's new book Finding Renée Richards from Astoria Bookshop.org and get 15% off with code YWAPOD15
Edited + Produced by Miranda Zickler:
http://linktr.ee/mirandatheswampmonster
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