Maria Pepe had grown up playing streetball with the boys in her neighborhood. So when she became old enough to try out for the Little League, there was no question that she would make the team. The year was 1972, and the place was Hoboken, NJ.
Maria was a pitcher and played right field and third base. Her fastball was considered equal to any of those thrown by boys. She was also a good hitter. But when the Little League headquarters discovered that a girl was playing for a Little League chartered team, her team was told she would no longer be allowed to play.
The National Organization for Women (NOW) took up her cause and filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Little League. The lawsuit took two years to be decided. The Little League was ordered to remove its restriction on only boys being eligible to play. By the time the case was settled, Maria was too old to play.
The court case is symbolic of how our judicial processes have become far removed from what the founding fathers might have imagined. The Little League organization found a study that argued that women’s bodies were not built to play baseball. As is so often the case, so-called experts can be found to offer testimony to support whatever side in a court case has the most money. And likewise, cases can be drug out forever through legal maneuverings.
While Maria could not make an impact on the field, she did make one for over 100,000 girls who are now playing Little League baseball. There have been at least 15 girls who have participated in the Little League World Series.
Girl’s baseball leagues are growing in popularity with the support of Major League Baseball. But in spite of the success of women playing baseball over the past 50+ years, they still face physical and verbal abuse from their male teammates. Many girls have chosen to compete in softball instead.
Maria threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Little League World Series in 2004. It was at this event that she met the Little League executive who testified against her. He shook her hand and said: “I want you to know my granddaughter plays.”
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“I feel like I get to play forever through all the girls who play today.” – Maria Pepe