Minor league baseball teams often try new initiatives to spark fan interest and present something unique. But the Jackson Rockabillys are taking that innovative spirit to the next level.
Located in Jackson, Tennessee, the Rockabillys are hosting a “Game of Their Own” event this season, a tribute to the iconic baseball movie, A League of Their Own.
The film, which was released in 1992 and features beloved queer icons like Rosie O’Donnell and Madonna, tells the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGBPL). The league was started when the U.S. entered World War II and many MLB stars were drafted to serve overseas. It lasted from 1943 to 1952.
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The contest will be a reenactment of the legendary 1945 championship game between the Rockford Peaches and Racine Belles, the two teams “A League of Their Own” centers around. To field the two teams, the Rockabillys are hosting open tryouts next weekend for women baseball players in West Tennessee.
That’s a big deal, especially considering the queer history that’s attached to the AAGBPL.
Despite the league’s efforts to present its players as stereotypically effeminate–participants were told to “play like a man and act like a lady”–there were a large number of LGBTQ+ players. But for the sake of the league’s image, and their own safety, they kept their true identities under wraps for decades.
That’s started to change in recent years, with the living alumni now in their 80s and 90s. One of the most well-known love stories involves Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel, who kept their romantic relationship secret for seven decades. Lifelong roommates, they loved each other in silence.
That is, until 2020, when the Netflix movie, A Secret Love, was released to critical acclaim. While Donahue passed away in 2019, Henschel is still alive, and saw the documentary herself.
“We want to share our love with the rest of the world,” she told Oprah Daily at the time. “I hope that audiences learn to see how true love really works, and how wonderful it is.”
Another one of the AAGBPL’s most iconic players, Maybelle Blaire, publicly came out in 2022… at 95 years old!
“I think it’s a great opportunity for these young girl ballplayers to realize that they’re not alone, and you don’t have to hide,” she said at the Tribeca Festival to promote the Amazon series of the same title. “I hid for 75, 85 years. This is actually, basically, the first time I’ve ever come out.”
Blair played in the AAGBPL for the 1948 season before moving to a pro softball league. She said her experiences playing baseball and softball showed her she wasn’t the only gay person in the world.
“Girls, there is a life for you, and follow it,” she said. “I got into a lot of trouble with some of those ball players.”
For the majority of her life, sports legend 95-year old @AAGPBL player, Maybelle Blair felt like she had to hide her authentic self. Today she came out publicly for the first time. We couldn't be happier for her, and continue to push for love and acceptance on and off the field. pic.twitter.com/BEaCisO2RH— A League of Their Own (@LeagueOnPrime) June 14, 2022
When the Jackson Rockabillys welcome female players to the field April 7, they will be told to be their beautiful, honest, and authentic selves. That’s no small detail, considering they play in conservative Tennessee.
But minor league teams, many of which play in conservative communities, frequently push the boundaries. Just last month, we covered the Danville Dairy Daddies, a club whose name carries subtle gay undertones.
Their mascot, McCreamy, is a walking contradiction. The overtly masculine creature is decked out in “strawberry milk pink.”
The contradiction is the point.
“We here in Danville view not just the club, not just the team here, but we view the city and the region and its current rebirth and vastly bright future as undeniable,” said team general manager Adam Scher. “We look at this brand as an outward way to say Danville as a city, southern Virginia as a region, we’re here, you cannot ignore us anymore, we’re not going anywhere, so it’s time to get familiar.”
The Danville Dairy Daddies take fun team names and mascots to a whole udder level.
Last summer, another minor league club, the Missoula Paddleheads, captured our attention with their own spectacular Pride Night. Every player on the team wore special Pride jerseys, which were auctioned off to support the Western Montana Community Center, the region’s largest LGBTQ+ charitable organization.
One of the Paddleheads’ star players, Jayson Newman, wore special rainbow cleats.
“Right now in the world, it’s really divided in my opinion. I’m not gonna get too political or anything, because that’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m just trying to celebrate love, try and do what I can to help,” he told Queerty. “I have family members who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, so just trying to show my support and love for them.”
The Paddleheads, who play in the independent Pioneer League, have been hosting their Pride Night for five seasons. The now-annual party was held last Thursday.
While not explicitly LGBTQ+, the Rockabillys’ embrace of female ballplayers breaks barriers in its own way. We can’t wait to see these women play like men women, and act and identify however they please.
