A History of Women Who Have Owned Major League Baseball Teams
Women have been part of the tradition and lore of the game of baseball for over the past one hundred and fifty years. The first organized women’s team in the United States was started at Vassar College in 1866. Endless stories abound about women’s participation in the grand old game in almost every capacity and have been well documented over the years in many published books. However this book is about an exclusive group of women in baseball history, some of them are well known, but most are not. These are women who have experienced the game from the very top as major league team owners and co-owners.
The history of women who have owned major league teams is more than a mere curiosity; their collective stories form an anthology of struggle in a male dominated bastion for acceptance and recognition as entrepreneurs and sports-minded individuals who understand the tradition of the game of baseball and it’s ingrained connection to American culture.
It all began in 1911 when Helene Hathaway Robison Britton inherited the St. Louis Cardinals and the saga continued through the ensuing decades of the twentieth century with various women gaining control of major league teams through subsequent inheritances. Then in 1985 a watershed event occurred for women in major league baseball. Marge Schott gained majority control of the Cincinnati Reds, joining Jean Yawkey of the Boston Red Sox and Joan Kroc of the San Diego Padres thereby bringing the number of women to three who owned major league teams at that time.
While most of the woman who have owned major league teams gained control through inheritances, a few such as Joan Payson of the New York Mets and Marge Schott of the Cincinnati Reds, both of whom had strong independent interests in the game, gained majority control of their team with their own finances. A more recent co-owner who bought a considerable share of the Colorado Rockies with her own money is Linda Alvarado.
The degree to which the lady moguls have taken an active role in running their ball clubs is varied. Some such as Eleanor Hempstead who inherited the New York Giants chose to turn the reigns of leadership over to her husband. Others such Grace Comiskey of the Chicago White Sox and Florence Dreyfuss of the Pittsburgh Pirates, while not day-to-day hands-on owners were often involved with major decisions affecting their ball clubs. Marge Schott while very controversial was decidedly hands-on.
Also included in this work are stories of women team owners of color. Today, Negro League players are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and statistics of the leagues’ most talented players appear in The Baseball Encyclopedia. Therefore to bridge the gap between the period of exclusion in major league baseball of players and owners of color and today’s game, I have included in this work, two women who were involved with ownership and administration of Negro Leagues teams; Olivia Taylor of the Indianapolis ABC’s and Effa Manley of the Newark Eagles. In fact in 2006, Effa Manley became the first women elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Collectively these remarkable women have added colorful, enriching and sometimes controversial experiences to the history of major league baseball. It is my hope that their legacy will continue to expand and to inspire women to make further inroads into both ownership and management of big league teams.
Contents:
- Helene Hathaway Robison Britton - St. Louis Cardinals
- Effa Manley - Newark Eagles
- Grace Reidy Comiskey - Chicago White Sox
- Joan W. Payson - New York Mets
- Jean R. Yawkey - Boston Red Sox
- Marge Schott - Cincinnati Reds
- Joan B. Kroc - San Diego Padres
- Other Notable Lady MLB Owners and Co-owners
- Notes
- Bibliography
Page Count: 228
Trim Size: 5.5 x 8.5
Publish Date: October 27, 2015
Imprint: Sunbury Press
Genre: History
Related Products
From this Collection
-
$16.95Think of this book as a GPS. A spiritual atlas...Think of this book as a GPS. A spiritual atlas to help you navigate the maze of life and be a joyful, peaceful, prosperous, and godly person. Follow God’s Path to Success and be an example to your...
-
$19.95~ The Accountant's Apprentice II ~ Is Justin's ...~ The Accountant's Apprentice II ~ Is Justin's former boss really speaking to him from beyond the grave? And is he right? Is the entire planet being threatened? Homeless shelter director Justin M...
-
$19.95This lyrical memoir follows the stories of thre...This lyrical memoir follows the stories of three women through immigration, The Depression, and emergence into the third generation. The author finds her mother's story in a journal discovered afte...
-
$19.95Henry Shoemaker compiled these legendary tales ...Henry Shoemaker compiled these legendary tales set in the Endless Mountains of western and central Pennsylvania. Shoemaker's tales recall the transition of the landscape from forest to industrial l...
-
$19.95(1741-1782) George Croghan, (c. 1720—1782), was...(1741-1782) George Croghan, (c. 1720—1782), was an American colonial trader who won the confidence of Indian tribes and negotiated numerous treaties of friendship with them on behalf of the British...
-
$16.95Vengeance of the Last Roman Legion: Book 2 Afte...Vengeance of the Last Roman Legion: Book 2 After the mighty Roman Legion Vindicta emerged out of the darkness from a 2,000-year hibernation in Gaul, Legatus Lucius Cassius Aquilius has at last retu...
-
$12.95H M J Klein's history of Lancaster County, Penn...H M J Klein's history of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, focused on the city of Lancaster in the years 1821 to 1921. This history was originally published in the 1920s but has been updated with per...
-
$9.99One Man's Spiritual Journey Through Tragedy by ...One Man's Spiritual Journey Through Tragedy by Embracing God's Plan The disciples asked Jesus about the blind man. i.e. “who sinned, this man or his parents, thus resulting in him being born blind...
-
$16.95The United States in the mid-1800s boiled with ...The United States in the mid-1800s boiled with conflict and promise. The bloody Civil War raged. A ruminating President sat in the White House. William Gould Raymond (“W.G.”) was as complicated as ...
-
$29.95John Chester Miller’s 1936 biography of Boston’...John Chester Miller’s 1936 biography of Boston’s leading Son of Liberty. Sam Adams was instrumental in fomenting rebellion in the American colonies as an ardent patriot. Adams was a Continental Con...
-
$19.95The Story of Susanna Parry and Her Cousin Alice...The Story of Susanna Parry and Her Cousin Alice Paul With a revolutionary spirit, two Quaker cousins rebel against tradition. One cousin is notorious: Alice Paul endures censure and prison to win ...
-
$19.95An ostensibly minor burglary trial proves decis...An ostensibly minor burglary trial proves decisive—and fatal. What happens when a defendant inexplicably rejects an easy plea bargain? Public defender Elena Alvarez views this trial as a personal...
-
$16.95Spring is usually heralded as a time of renewal...Spring is usually heralded as a time of renewal, not murder. Preparations are underway in the spring of 1899 for the wedding of Deputy Cyrus Gutshall. Sheriff Tilghman is hopeful this will put his ...
-
$29.95The Indian Chiefs of Pennsylvania is a factual ...The Indian Chiefs of Pennsylvania is a factual account of the indigenous history of North America's Eastern Frontier and the contributions made by many outstanding chiefs in shaping it. Originally ...
-
$19.95The first to cross the Atlantic non-stop wasn’t...The first to cross the Atlantic non-stop wasn’t Charles Lindbergh, but two long-forgotten British airmen. This is their story. On June 14-15, 1919, Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten...
-
$19.95Volume 1 was Baseball Almanac's favorite read o...Volume 1 was Baseball Almanac's favorite read of 2021 When the Pros Played on the Sandlot Ever wonder what your favorite ballplayer’s childhood was like? Kelly G. Park is at it again with the secon...
-
$24.95Adventures Outside My Comfort Zone From Woodst...Adventures Outside My Comfort Zone From Woodstock to the Okavango. How a bookworm turned flower child turned healthcare executive found joy in traveling the world. Structured in a series of essay...
-
$16.95Vengeance of the Last Roman Legion: Book 1 Deep...Vengeance of the Last Roman Legion: Book 1 Deep in the blackness of a long-forgotten crypt in rural France, an ancient and deadly nightmare has awakened. Its prey is already long dead. But it will ...
-
$19.95The Wrongful Conviction of Allen and Smith 1994...The Wrongful Conviction of Allen and Smith 1994, Lorain, Ohio. Nancy Smith, a bus driver, is charged with taking children to a man who sexually abuses them. But in a police lineup, the children, wh...
-
$19.95The Great War erupts in Europe. A devastating p...The Great War erupts in Europe. A devastating pandemic kills millions worldwide. Children are working in mines and factories, and women are testing boundaries. An explosion in a Pennsylvania coal m...
-
$19.95by Marlin Bressi Murder, mystery and mayhem! F...by Marlin Bressi Murder, mystery and mayhem! From an eccentric Clinton County puppetmaster whose marionettes were so lifelike that some believed they were made of flesh and blood, to a haunted lum...
-
$19.95Celebrated model Toto Koopman had beauty, brain...Celebrated model Toto Koopman had beauty, brains, and fame. Born to a Dutch father and Indonesian mother, she took up the life of a bon vivant in 1920s Paris and modeled for Vogue magazine and Coco...
-
$19.95Every school has a secret. After two beloved t...Every school has a secret. After two beloved teachers pass away at St. Stephen’s Middle School, it’s up to Ian Evans & Michelle Thompson to fill their shoes. But their eager anticipation soon ...
-
$24.95The Secret History of Medical Experimentation o...The Secret History of Medical Experimentation on Children in America The shocking truth of what really happened in American medicine during the 20th centuryInfluenced by the eugenics movement and u...
-
$24.95Teedyuscung (c. 1700–1763) was known as "King o...Teedyuscung (c. 1700–1763) was known as "King of the Delawares." He worked to establish a permanent Lenape (Delaware) home in eastern Pennsylvania in the Lehigh, Susquehanna, and Delaware River val...
-
$16.95The Italians were so busy creating and performi...The Italians were so busy creating and performing superb music that they neglected to tell the great epic story of their wondrous achievement. With BRAVO! We hope to tell that story. The 1,000-year...
-
$19.95Each Town’s Contribution to Maritime History Wh...Each Town’s Contribution to Maritime History Whether you call Cape Cod a man-made island or describe it as a geographic peninsula connected to the mainland by bridges, there is one non-debatable fa...
-
$24.95The Islands of Chincoteague and Assateague are ...The Islands of Chincoteague and Assateague are travel destinations like no other. Many visit these islands on Virginia’s Eastern Shore to see the wild ponies made famous by the children’s classic ...
-
$19.95Hemingway and the Rise of Modern Literature, Vo...Hemingway and the Rise of Modern Literature, Volume 2 The Modern Movement in art was an authentic response to a much-changing world. The rapid industrialization and urbanization of western society ...
-
$9.99Found. Still lost. is an empowering collection ...Found. Still lost. is an empowering collection of poetry and images exploring the depths of trauma and inviting us all to heal through the validation of our innermost feelings. One of the best ways...
-
$19.95The Timothy House Chronicles: Book One Abbie Ri...The Timothy House Chronicles: Book One Abbie Richardson and Keith Haliday have suffered devastating losses. Both share a common link—Abbie’s dead husband, Joe. Four years after his death, Abbie sti...
-
$19.95The Northern Appalachia Review is an annual pub...The Northern Appalachia Review is an annual publication making a place for the under-recognized literature of its region. The editors identify northern Appalachia as the Appalachia counties of Ohio...
-
$19.95Fate plays the long game. In our world of insta...Fate plays the long game. In our world of instant gratification, there seems to be little time for mysteries or wonder. We question our beliefs and close our minds to that which appears mystical. B...
-
$16.95Sheriff Tilghman is back in this small-town Pen...Sheriff Tilghman is back in this small-town Pennsylvania cozy historical mystery It’s the summer of 1898. The nation, just coming out of an economic slump, has been at war with Spain since April. A...
-
$19.95Gordon appears to be living the good life. He i...Gordon appears to be living the good life. He is married, has two delightful children, owns a home in the western suburbs of St. Louis, and teaches popular history classes at the local high school....
-
$19.95The Long Road to the Bronx Zoo No one saw more ...The Long Road to the Bronx Zoo No one saw more baseball during the 20th century than Gabe Paul. He started out as a bat boy. Then a newspaper correspondent. A press agent. A traveling secretary. ...
-
$16.95Two murders unnerve small-town Pennsylvania in ...Two murders unnerve small-town Pennsylvania in this cozy historical mystery The 19th century is coming to a close, and Sheriff Tilghman is focused on his two biggest problems: Finding a new deputy ...
-
$16.95A Pennsylvania Story Could you forgive the pers...A Pennsylvania Story Could you forgive the person who betrayed you? Leah is on a journey across Pennsylvania, confronting questions she never thought she’d ask: Can she forgive the man who hurt her...
-
$19.95Family is an outlawed concept. Friendships are ...Family is an outlawed concept. Friendships are forbidden. All procreation is artificial and government-controlled. Hazel, a factory-born military driver, accepts these rules as necessities for hum...
-
$24.95A British Soldier’s Son Who Became an Early Ame...A British Soldier’s Son Who Became an Early American In June 1798, President John Adams signed the now infamous Alien & Sedition Acts to suppress political dissent. Facing imminent personal ri...
-
$16.95Conflicted hearts search for human connection u...Conflicted hearts search for human connection upon waters and vivid landscapes. Randolf, a Susquehanna ferryman, is piloting an Amish wedding party in the title story of this collection, “Nunc Stan...
-
$19.95First published in 1910, The Key to the Tarot i...First published in 1910, The Key to the Tarot is the essential guide to unlocking the secrets of tarot from the legendary and renowned scholar of occultism, A. E. Waite. This practical book explain...
-
$19.95The Pennsylvania State Defense Forces, 1918 to ...The Pennsylvania State Defense Forces, 1918 to 1953 The National Defense Act of 1916 forever changed the landscape of the U.S. Military From 1918-1953, state governors were asked to raise and equip...
-
$24.95DISNEYANITY: Of ‘Walt’ and Religion studies the...DISNEYANITY: Of ‘Walt’ and Religion studies the manner in which popular entertainment can compete with conventional churches as a source of spirituality. DISNEYANITY: Of ‘Walt’ and Religion combine...
-
$19.95Joe Farrell, Joe Farley, and Lawrence Knorr hav...Joe Farrell, Joe Farley, and Lawrence Knorr have combed New York and Pennsylvania for the gravesites and biographies of some of our most interesting and accomplished sports figures. Included in thi...
-
$16.95From the twisted mind of horror master Thomas M...From the twisted mind of horror master Thomas M. Malafarina comes the sixth short story collection in his Malaformed Realities series, appropriately entitled Malaformed Realities Volume 6. With sev...
-
$19.95Roads Traveled, Lessons Learned, Villainy Expos...Roads Traveled, Lessons Learned, Villainy Exposed Being raised in the New York metropolitan region but living in the San Francisco Bay area exposed Martens to two worlds. One was inundated with Maf...
-
$19.95A talented, devoted anesthesiologist, with a co...A talented, devoted anesthesiologist, with a coveted academic position. A lovely, accomplished financial analyst with a glamorous social life, a high-rise apartment, and a dirty little secret. A ch...
-
$19.95Joe Farrell, Joe Farley, and Lawrence Knorr hav...Joe Farrell, Joe Farley, and Lawrence Knorr have combed New York and Pennsylvania for the gravesites and biographies of some of our most interesting and accomplished authors, musicians, actors, and...