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Jean Hastings Ardell
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Breaking Into Baseball Paperback – March 3, 2005

by Jean Hastings Ardell (Author), Ila Borders (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars 9 ratings
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While baseball is traditionally perceived as a game to be played, enjoyed, and reported from a masculine perspective, it has long been beloved among women—more so than any other spectator sport. Breaking into Baseball: Women and the National Pastime upends baseball’s accepted history to at last reveal just how involved women are, and have always been, in the American game.

Through provocative interviews and deft research, Jean Hastings Ardell devotes a detailed chapter to each of the seven ways women participate in the game—from the stands as fans, on the field as professionals or as amateur players, behind the plate as umpires, in the front office as executives, in the press box as sportswriters and reporters, or in the shadows as Baseball Annies. From these revelatory vantage points, Ardell invites overdue appreciation for the affinity and talent women bring to baseball at all levels and shows us our national game anew.

From its ancient origins in spring fertility rituals through contemporary marketing efforts geared toward an ever-increasing female fan base, baseball has always had a feminine side, and generations of women have sought—and been sought after—to participate in the sport, even when doing so meant challenging the cultural mores of their era. In that regard, women have been breaking into baseball from the very beginning. But recent decades have witnessed great strides in legitimizing women’s roles on the diamond as players and umpires as well as in vital management and media roles. In her thoughtfully organized and engagingly written survey, Ardell offers a chance for sports enthusiasts and historians of both genders to better appreciate the storied and complex relationship women have so long shared with the game and to glimpse the future of women in baseball.

Breaking into Baseball is augmented by twenty-four illustrations and a foreword from Ila Borders, the first woman to play more than three seasons of men’s professional baseball.
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  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Southern Illinois University Press
  4. Publication date
    March 3, 2005
  5. Dimensions
    5.75 x 0.8 x 8.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0809326272
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0809326273
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Editorial Reviews

Review


"In her impressive and interesting book, Jean Hastings Ardell has written the definitive account of women’s roles in baseball. Ardell has uncovered a mostly hidden trove of information—baseball’s own feminine mystique. Her book is a must read, especially for those who believe (erroneously) they know all there is to know about baseball."—Marvin Miller, founding director of the Major League Baseball Players Association and author of AWhole Different Ball Game: The Inside Story of the Baseball Revolution





"At last! Incontrovertible proof that women have been a crucial, integral part of baseball from its sticks-and-stones prehistory right up to today. Ardell’s sharp insights on women as players, owners, umpires, and fans—on sex, money, power, feminism, and the role Baseball Annies played in baseball’s long ban of black ballplayers—make this book essential for anyone who cares about baseball, women, or fairness."—Elinor Nauen, editor of Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend: Women Writers on Baseball



"Ardell is a major league writer, and this book is proof that she belongs in the starting lineup. Breaking into Baseball explores relationships between women and baseball in ways heretofore neglected or ignored. It is, at once, imaginative, provocative, nuanced, and empowering."—Steve Gietschier, senior managing editor of the Sporting News

"Comprehensively researched and beautifully written, Breaking into Baseball tells the complex story of women and the national pastime in a compelling fashion. Ardell approaches her subject matter with passion, bringing to life the experiences of a host of women involved with every aspect of the game, in a way that is intellectually satisfying and extremely entertaining."—Roberta Newman, New York University


About the Author



Jean Hastings Ardell frequently writes and lectures on women’s contributions to baseball. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Sporting News, Elysian Fields Quarterly, Nine: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture, and in the anthologies Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend: Women Writers on Baseball and Growing Up with Baseball: How We Loved and Played the Game. In 1999, she earned the Society for American Baseball Research/USAToday Baseball Weekly Award for Research for her article, "Lefthander Ila Borders: Crossing Baseball’s Gender Line from Little League to the Northern League." Ardell lives in Corona Del Mar, California, with her husband, a former first baseman for the Anaheim Angels.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Southern Illinois University Press; First Edition (March 3, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0809326272
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0809326273
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 0.8 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 out of 5 stars 9 ratings

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Jean Hastings Ardell

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4.9 out of 5 stars
9 global ratings

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Customers find the book well researched, with one mentioning how it makes history come alive for readers. They also consider it good value for money.

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4 customers mention "Research quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers praise the book's thorough research, with one noting how it brings history to life for readers.

"This is a well-written and well-researched book about the ways in which women have related to baseball from its very beginnings...." Read more

"...Her research is particularly impressive, with details such as the first female umpire to sign a game scorecard...." Read more

"...Ardell is a gifted writer who makes history come alive for readers. This book will appeal equally to academicians and the general public." Read more

"...It is a well researched and well credited book. I would hasten to recommend it." Read more

3 customers mention "Value for money"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be good value for money.

"...I would have liked to have heard their stories. Very worth reading." Read more

"...It is a well researched and well credited book. I would hasten to recommend it." Read more

"Good Book!!..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Ohioan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well-Researched History, 4.5 Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This is a well-written and well-researched book about the ways in which women have related to baseball from its very beginnings. In some ways, this seems an odd approach to the topic of women and baseball, but it's certainly a legitimate approach, and the author does an excellent job of bringing the stories to life.

    For those intrigued by the thought of different ways of relating to baseball, the seven ways are:

    as Fans
    as Baseball Annies
    as Amateur Players
    as Professional Players
    as Umpires
    As Club Owners and Executives
    as Women in the Media

    The author has left out at least one way in which women relate to baseball: as vendors and grounds crew. Women as well as men get jobs ushering, selling hot dogs and other concessions, and maintaining the baseball grounds just because they love baseball. I would have liked to have heard their stories.

    Very worth reading.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Stephen C. Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars "Breaking Into Baseball" Breaks New Ground
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2005
    Verified Purchase
    Just when you think anything and everything has been written about baseball, along comes this book. Ms. Ardell approaches the subject from all angles, including some I never thought of, and I've been around the game as a journalist for several years. Her research is particularly impressive, with details such as the first female umpire to sign a game scorecard. Professional baseball is one of the last bastions of male chauvinism, and Ms. Ardell reminds us that the national pastime isn't quite as national as we'd like to believe. Definitely worth a five-star rating; I'll be sending out this book as gifts to people in the business with the hope that it opens not just eyes but minds and hearts too.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • USAFmom3
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read
    Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    This is a must read book for students of our National pastime. It is elegantly written and chronicles the history of women's involvement with baseball from the mid-nineteenth century through to the modern day. Ardell provides a thorough historical overview of women players, (amateur and professional), sports writers, umpires, club owners and executives. She includes a unique chapter on women fans, focusing on the "Baseball Annies" who follow men's teams around offering themselves to players for sexual dalliances. Ardell is a gifted writer who makes history come alive for readers. This book will appeal equally to academicians and the general public.
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  • C. V. Garnett
    4.0 out of 5 stars Ladies' Day
    Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    I'm objective about this book, and I declare it a real winner.
    Although it's about women "breaking into" the great national pastime,
    men will find the historic aspects of interest, as well. The fact that the author quotes a "Washington Post" article of mine on the subject of the first Ladies Day Game played in the nation's capital does not influence my favorable opinion. It is a well researched and well credited book. I would hasten to recommend it.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • The Sons of Chester
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book!!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    You can't go wrong with a good baseball book. If you liked this book, you will love The Sons of Chester: A Tale of Small Town Boys, Baseball, and Very Big Dreams.
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  • A Reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and Inspirational
    Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2005
    Jean Hastings Ardell has captured the essence of the connection between baseball and women in her well-written and thoroughly-researched chapters. Whether they are men or women, fans or players, readers will enjoy her fast-paced writing, her sense of perspective, her conscientious scholarship, and her sense of humor. Ms. Ardell's love for the game is evident on every page, and she taps into that connection for readers, enabling them to celebrate their own love for the game of baseball.
    8 people found this helpful
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