¡Vamos Chicas! Mexican American Women’s Baseball Leagues of the Pre-WWII Midwest

¡Vamos Chicas!Mexican American Women's Baseball Leagues of the Pre-WWII Midwest Emalee Nelson (bio) introduction In recent years there has been an increased interest in women's involvement in baseball. While films like A League of Their Own often remain the primary example for many, Amazon Prime's 2022 reboot has sparked interest in these stories for newer generations. Furthermore the series—though fictional— offers a more realistic portrayal of race and sexuality within the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), which began as a form of wartime entertainment during 1943 and ran until 1954.1 The conversation around sexuality, especially within women's sports, is much different in our present day culture than it was nearly eighty years ago when the league existed. However, an often-overlooked aspect of the league that has remained largely unspoken even today was the racial barrier the AAGPBL maintained, similar to Major League Baseball's gentleman's agreement that existed prior to Jackie Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. During that same season, the AAGPBL held its spring training in Havana, Cuba. The exhibition games were a popular success, drawing crowds of an estimated 50,000 spectators, which were reportedly larger than Major League Baseball team's spring training games that were also spent on the Caribbean island.2 While there, the AAGPBL recruited a handful of Cuban women to return to the United States and play in the league, which primarily existed in midwestern cities throughout Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Though their story is an incredible journey in the narrative of Cuban ball players leaving their home to play professional baseball in America, I was curious why the AAGPBL did not recruit from the teams formed by Mexican American women in the Midwest nearly a decade prior. [End Page 58] Although the AAGPBL remains the most popular women's baseball league, the vibrant history of Chicana leagues during the mid-twentieth century remains a vital piece of the overall tapestry of women's baseball. This article explores the Mexican women's teams in the Midwest in the years leading up to World War II. In addition to highlighting a handful of teams that played in Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, and Indiana, this article aims to discuss the implications of Mexican American women carving out their space in America's pastime. Understanding their experiences in sports provides better insight into the lives of Chicanas in middle America, an area not often appropriately recognized for being an important multicultural immigrant scene. migrating from mexico The Mexican Revolution was a violent conflict that spanned nearly a decade between 1910 and 1920. As a result many Mexicans fled the fighting for the prospect of a more peaceful life. The American Midwest was an enticing spot for Mexican immigrants who subsequently provided a massive influx of labor for the agriculture, railroad, meatpacking, hospitality, garment, and steel industries. Because their Catholic religion was important for these immigrants arriving in America, many wanted to work for the Santa Fe Railway company, as it translates to "holy faith" in English.3 Word began to spread of the seemingly stable opportunity for employment and lifestyle, especially for railroad company workers, which began a steady flow of Mexican immigrants into the Midwest. Many of those employers, like the railroad companies, provided housing in small encampments on the outskirts of the company grounds. Most of the living quarters were considerably shoddy 300-square-foot boxcar homes, which often did not include plumbing.4 As a result, many of the families lived in close proximity, which furthered the sense of community ties between the families. Some communities like Newton, Kansas, adopted "Americanization" programs to better assimilate Mexican American immigrants.5 These initiatives ranged from providing English lessons to immigrants and their families to teaching music classes that featured Americana folk music. Although knowledge of a culture's language and music is key in demonstrating acceptance in a new environment, the ability for immigrants to feel belonging and acceptance relied heavily upon one sport. Given the relative ease with which one could find a field and makeshift equipment, baseball helped these young immigrants prove their Americanness while imitating a familiar...

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