III
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 786
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 20, 2022
Mr. Braun submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
December 1, 2022
Committee discharged; considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the history of women’s professional baseball in Indiana.
Whereas the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (referred to as the League
) has significant history in Indiana and the History Museum in South Bend holds the largest collection of memorabilia from the League;
Whereas the League was established during World War II to provide a morale boost and family entertainment to aid in the war effort and gained popularity throughout the 1940s;
Whereas, in 1943, South Bend, Indiana became the fourth city to have a team competing in the League, the first women's professional baseball league in the history of the United States;
Whereas South Bend was home to the Blue Sox for all 12 years of the existence of the League and the Blue Sox played at Bendix Field and Playland Park in South Bend, Indiana;
Whereas Fort Wayne was eager to bring a team to the city and the Fort Wayne Daisies debuted in 1945, with games held at North Side High School and later Memorial Park in Fort Wayne;
Whereas the South Bend Blue Sox were both the League and playoff champions for the 1951 season and were the playoff champions for the 1952 season;
Whereas the Fort Wayne Daises were the league champions for the 1952, 1953, and 1954 seasons;
Whereas Dorothy Dottie
Schroeder was the only woman who played all 12 seasons in the League and became a favorite player of fans of the South Bend Blue Sox, the Kenosha Comets, the Fort Wayne Daisies, and the Kalamazoo Lassies;
Whereas the 1992 American sports comedy-drama film about the League, A League of Their Own
was partially filmed in Indiana and was added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2012;
Whereas scenes from A League of Their Own
of home games of the Rockford Peaches were filmed at League Stadium in Huntingburg, Indiana; and
Whereas the championship game between Rockford and Racine in A League of Their Own
was filmed at Bosse Field in Evansville, Indiana, which is the third oldest baseball park in the country still in use for professional baseball, behind only Fenway Park and Wrigley Field: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
recognizes that Indiana played a significant role in the history of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League during the existence of the league through the successful teams in Indiana: the South Bend Blue Sox and the Fort Wayne Daisies; and
encourages people throughout Indiana to continue to honor and recognize the history and legacy of women’s professional baseball through preservation of memorabilia, facilities, and events that highlight the era of such professional athletes.