Ball Sports

Book excerpt: Ball sports were almost exclusively a male pursuit until women began to participate in the late 19th century, most notably in basketball, golf and tennis. This volume of the Sports She Wrote series showcases over 100 articles (134,000 words) written by women from 1882 to 1900, accompanied by 100 illustrations. Basketball, invented in 1891, rapidly gained popularity among women, with high school and intercollegiate matches sparking nationwide interest. The exclusion of men as spectators in some venues (due to women playing in scandalous bloomers) fostered intrigue, while in other regions both genders watched women play without segregation. The 49 articles about basketball from 1894 to 1900 include coverage of the first intercollegiate games, 13 articles spotlighting Clara Gregory Baer's pioneering role in basketball in Louisiana, and the short story The Emotions of a Sub-Guard written by a graduate of Smith College. Golf was primarily a pastime for the wealthy elite due to the cost of equipment and course maintenance at private country clubs. The sport witnessed a massive surge in women's involvement, marked by the inauguration of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in 1895. Tennis also flourished, spawning national tournaments in the late 1880s, driving women's dress reform to abandon restrictive clothing to permit freedom of movement, and adopting colorful styles of the now ubiquitous tennis shoes. Articles about baseball, billiards, bowling, cricket, field hockey, football and soccer provide a comprehensive overview of women's engagement with popular ball games during this era. Several obscure and antiquated ball sports are also included in this collection, providing a fascinating glimpse into an array of ball games that never gained widespread popularity. Ball sports are also featured in four other volumes of the Sports She Wrote series: Helen Dauvray, The Actress Who Loved Baseball; Ella Black, The First Woman Baseball Correspondent; Adelia Brainerd, The Outdoor Woman of Harper’s Bazar; and Diana’s Ball Sports. Sports She Wrote is a 31-volume time-capsule of primary documents written by more than 500 women in the 19th century.