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- Offer letter from the All American Girls Baseball League to Phoenix Ramblers softball catcher Dot Wilkinson
Offer letter from the All American Girls Baseball League to Phoenix Ramblers softball catcher Dot Wilkinson
Object Details
- Description (Brief)
- Offer letter from Clarence Rowland of the Chicago Bluebirds of the All American Girl 'Softball' League to Phoenix Ramblers catcher Dot Wilkinson dated November 3, 1944. This letter represents an aspect of sports that isn’t often explored – refusal of a lucrative sport’s contract for personal and ethical reasons. This invites Dot Wilkinson to join the All-American Girls Baseball League, a high profile, professional baseball league, giving her the opportunity to advance in the sport. Due to the league’s rules, morality clauses and perceived views of the LGBTQ community, Wilkinson did not accept their offer. These letters speak to that time in her personal history and in the new AAGBL’s need for substantial and talented women athletes.
- The Arizona Ramblers, members of the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) began in 1933 and included 11-year-old Dot Wilkinson who would play with the team until it disbanded in 1965. Fastpitch softball has long been a standard for women’s participation in sport even when that participation was limited elsewhere. This league was created a decade before the All-American Girl’s Baseball League came into being during the 1940s and that league was only there as a placeholder for male baseball players at war.
- Wilkinson was the Ramblers star catcher and eventually became the first woman to enter the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame. The Ramblers overall record from 1933-1940 was 317-38 with Wilkinson leading the team to three National Championships in 1940, 1948 and 1949. Wilkinson was offered a contract in the All-American Girls baseball League but declined as she didn’t want to leave home but more importantly, she didn’t like the way Wrigley didn’t recognize “any hints of lesbianism among the players.” AAGBL players were required to wear make up and lipstick and the uniforms were less functional with their more feminine skirts. Their players were also required to attend charm school and act more feminine which was the opposite of the athleticism the softball players were accustomed to. Wilkinson remained with the Ramblers until 1965 and during this time was compelled to hide her sexuality as she was afraid the social morays and attitudes toward gay women would lead to the end of her softball career. Wilkinson carried on a relationship with teammate and second baseman, Estelle “Ricki” Caito although they never made their 48-year relationship public until Caito’s death in 2011.
- The PBSW Ramblers, the initials referring to their sponsors, Peterson-Brooke-Steiner and Wist included the first Black player, pitcher Rickie Harris who was often referred to as the female Jackie Robinson having broken barriers in the sport in 1948. She began playing for the Ramblers in 1950 and stayed with them until 1965. She continued to play with other teams and on All-Star teams until she was 74 years old. During her long illustrious career, she threw for 70 no-hitters, pitched four perfect games, scored 123 runs and played for 264 games. And while she had success on the field she dealt with racism on and off the field from fans and umpires and like Robinson, could not stay with her white teammates at hotels. She, along with other players, struggled to maintain a career as most players were paid very little and needed jobs for income but keeping a job, part-time was difficult as well. Harris would eventually overcome these obstacles, inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 1979 and became the first African American woman to be inducted into the Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame in 1982.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- date made
- 1944
- ID Number
- 2024.0076.02
- accession number
- 2024.0076
- catalog number
- 2024.0076.02
- Object Name
- letter, softball
- Physical Description
- ink (overall material)
- paper (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 11 in x 8 1/2 in; 27.94 cm x 21.59 cm
- See more items in
- Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
- Sports & Leisure
- name of sport
- Softball
- level of sport
- Amateur
- web subject
- Women
- LGBTQ
- Record ID
- nmah_2039359
- Usage
- CC0
