Kathryn "Tubby" Johnston Massar (née Johnston) was the first woman to play in a Little League Baseball game, which happened in 1950. She joined disguised as a boy and using the name Tubby Johnston, but later was known to be a girl and was still allowed to play.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Johnston was from Corning, New York, and played first base for the King's Dairy team.[10]
Tubby's Rule
editWhen the season had ended, a Little League meeting was held. It was decided that girls would be banned from Little League Baseball, which was known as Tubby's Rule. Later, in 1974, due to a lawsuit brought on behalf of Maria Pepe by the National Organization for Women, the New Jersey Superior Court decided that Little League Baseball must allow girls to play.[11][12] In the final week of December of that year, President Gerald Ford signed a bill that opened Little League Baseball to girls.[13][14]
References
edit- ^ Amdur, Neil (20 August 2001). "BASEBALL; One More Pitch for First Girl in Little League". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ Bertine, Kathryn (27 April 2011). "Kathryn 'Tubby' Johnston in a League of her Own". ESPN. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ Curtis, Charles (19 August 2014). "Little League World Series: First female player dreamed of playing for Yankees". nj.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ Hewitt, Bill (30 May 2014). "Little League Game Changers: Three Trailblazers on What It Meant to Play Ball". Parade. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ McCarthy, Dennis (2 August 2009). "Girl masquerades as a boy to play ball". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ Odell, John (March 17, 2011). "Results tagged 'Kathryn Johnston Massar'". MLBlogs Network. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ Associated Press (15 August 2014). "1st female Little League player happy for 2 girls". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ Roberts, Selena (20 June 2011). "She Had A Secret". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ Graban, Jimmy (14 August 2014). "Native Son: The first girl to play Little League still loves the game". Appeal-Democrat. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ "Timeline of Women in Sports". faculty.elmira.edu. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ^ S.F.L. (Fall–Winter 1998). "Alumni Profile: Maria Pepe". FDU Magazine. Fairleigh Dickinson University. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ "Greatest U.S. women's sports moments". ESPN. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
- ^ "Newsmakers closer to home". San Francisco Examiner. January 1, 1975. p.26
- ^ Mandell, Nina (18 August 2014). "The first woman to play in Little League is still waiting for a call from the New York Yankees". USA Today. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.