Kathryn Johnston Massar Explained
Kathryn "Tubby" Johnston Massar (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
When 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]
External links
Notes and References
- News: Amdur . Neil . BASEBALL; One More Pitch for First Girl in Little League . 21 August 2014 . . 20 August 2001 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140826120558/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/20/sports/baseball-one-more-pitch-for-first-girl-in-little-league.html . 26 August 2014 . live .
- News: Bertine . Kathryn . Kathryn 'Tubby' Johnston in a League of her Own . 21 August 2014 . . 27 April 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140904125429/http://espn.go.com/espnw/features/article/6430990/kathryn-tubby-johnston-league-own . 4 September 2014 . live .
- News: Curtis . Charles . Little League World Series: First female player dreamed of playing for Yankees . 21 August 2014 . . 19 August 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140822051718/http://www.nj.com/little-league-world-series/index.ssf/2014/08/little_league_world_series_first_female_player_dreamed_of_playing_for_yankees.html . 22 August 2014 . live .
- Hewitt . Bill . Little League Game Changers: Three Trailblazers on What It Meant to Play Ball . 21 August 2014 . Parade. 30 May 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115405/http://parade.condenast.com/298887/billhewitt/little-league-game-changers-three-trailblazers-on-what-it-meant-to-play-ball/ . 26 August 2014 . live .
- News: McCarthy . Dennis . Girl masquerades as a boy to play ball . 21 August 2014 . . 2 August 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115335/http://www.dailynews.com/20090803/girl-masquerades-as-a-boy-to-play-ball . 26 August 2014 . live .
- News: Odell . John . Results tagged 'Kathryn Johnston Massar' . 21 August 2014 . MLBlogs Network . March 17, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140826160915/http://baseballhall.mlblogs.com/tag/kathryn-johnston-massar/ . 26 August 2014 . live .
- News: Associated Press . 1st female Little League player happy for 2 girls . 21 August 2014 . . 15 August 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140826120823/http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/1st-female-little-league-player-happy-for-2-girls/2014/08/15/7b270ae0-24e0-11e4-8b10-7db129976abb_story.html . 26 August 2014 . dead .
- Roberts . Selena . She Had A Secret . 21 August 2014 . . 20 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924190445/http://www.si.com/vault/2011/06/20/106079584/she-had-a-secret . 24 September 2015 . live .
- News: Graban . Jimmy . Native Son: The first girl to play Little League still loves the game . 21 August 2014 . . 14 August 2014 . https://archive.today/20140821225109/http://www.appeal-democrat.com/sports/native-son-the-first-girl-to-play-little-league-still/article_7b30abaa-211a-11e4-b4a4-001a4bcf6878.html . 21 August 2014 . live .
- Web site: Timeline of Women in Sports. faculty.elmira.edu. 19 January 2014.
- News: Alumni Profile: Maria Pepe. FDU Magazine. Fairleigh Dickinson University. Fall–Winter 1998. 2009-09-15. S.F.L..
- Web site: Greatest U.S. women's sports moments. ESPN. 2009-09-13.
- News: Newsmakers closer to home. San Francisco Examiner. January 1, 1975. p.26
- News: Mandell . Nina . The first woman to play in Little League is still waiting for a call from the New York Yankees . 21 August 2014 . . 18 August 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140821015446/http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/08/tubby-johnston-little-league-world-series . 21 August 2014 . live .