Game of Their Own

Jennifer Ring is a professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is the author of Stolen Bases: Why American Girls Don't Play Baseball.

• List of IllustrationsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart 1. Baseball and American Women1. The Dream and Its Challenges2. Cary, 20103. From Cary to CaracasPart 2. The Veterans4. Tamara Holmes5. Donna Mills6. Jenny Dalton HillPart 3. Softball and Baseball Players7. Tara Harbert8. Veronica Alvarez9. Sarah Gascon10. Jenna MarstonPart 4. Baseball Girls11. Malaika Underwood12. Marti Sementelli13. Lilly Jacobson14. Meggie MeidlingerPart 5. Gender Segregation, Equality, and Women’s Baseball15. America’s Team16. Grassroots Women’s Baseball17. USA BaseballAppendix A: Player Interview QuestionsAppendix B: USA Baseball Women’s National Team Rosters and Current Women’s Baseball Leagues and Teams in the United StatesNotesSuggestions for Further ReadingIndex

"This revealing book, which makes an important contribution to sports and women's history, will interest anyone curious about an overlooked segment of amateur athletics."-Craig Clark, Booklist "A Game of Their Own is an engaging and well-written chronicle of women's baseball in the United States."-Maria J. Veri, Journal of Sport History “A Game of Their Own provides a reminder that although Title IX has helped create more opportunities for girls and women in sports, ‘the segregated masculinity of baseball’ still intimidates all but the strongest and most resilient girls and women who’ve chosen baseball as their game.”-Bill Littlefield, on WBUR’s Only a Game“I would recommend the book to those interested in baseball, sports history, gender and women’s studies but also to those who are interested in culture and sociology and how one sport in particular which could easily be open to girls and boys, has managed to discriminate against girls and women for decades through tight control, culture, and legacy.”-Ellen Bartages, AETHLON: Journal of Sports Literature "More than just the content or message, what I really believe makes this book very good is Ring's writing.  Her style captures the emotions and heart of each player instead of just reporting on what they did on the field.  If nothing else, for that reason alone everyone who reads baseball books should add this one to their libraries."-Guy Who Reviews Sports Books "A Game of Their Own reveals a thrilling and too-long-hidden part of our collective sports history. We owe Jennifer Ring a debt of gratitude for assembling this terrific text. We owe a similar debt to the women in these pages who fiercely and rebelliously love a sport that for too long has refused to return their affections. I don't think a person can say they have a comprehensive sports history library without the inclusion of A Game of Their Own."—Dave Zirin, sports editor of The Nation “Ring does not bring comfort to those comfortable with the status quo in baseball. She raises tough questions and follows up with a poignant account of the girls and women who must continue to fight for their place on the field. Meticulously researched, eloquently told.”-Jean Hastings Ardell, author of Breaking into Baseball: Women and the National Pastime"Jennifer Ring has written a book that fills a painful gap in baseball history. It is so much more than the story of the playing careers of a group of ballplayers. It is an examination, through the words of the players themselves, of their trials and struggles to be accepted as ballplayers."—Leslie Heaphy, associate professor of history at Kent State University at Stark and coeditor of Encyclopedia of Women in Baseball