A History of Basketball for Girls and Women: From Bloomers to Big Leagues

This book documents the development of basketball from its inception in 1891 to the present. The book provides a thorough history of the sport as it relates to girls and women. While many fans of basketball see this sport as a man's game, basketball for girls and women spread like wildfire within a week of its invention. As I have researched girls basketball extensively, I think it is fair to say that historically, women were more enthusiastic about basketball than men....although everyone loved it from the beginning. Just as their is a rich history of the Negro Leagues that flourished before blacks were allowed to play in the majors, basketball for females also flourished obscurely on the high school and college level. Of particular interest were the industrial leagues of 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. Women were recruited to play for companies that sponsored women's teams to promote their business, attract good employees who were also good basketball players and to create employee loyalty in the face of threats for companies to unionize. These teams gave women a chance to travel and get paid for doing something they really loved.There are two levels of girls and womens basketball; 1) the historical documentation of rules, leagues and great players and 2) the emotional impact the sport had on the lives of girls and women. This book deals with the former better than the latter. The research is careful and accurate. And it does tell the story. However, Jan Beran's book From Six on Six to Full Court Press, A Century of Iowa Girls' Basketball does a much better job of focusing on what basketball meant to the girls and women who made it part of their lives. I mention this not as a criticism but rather as a statement of focus. I find both books to be an invaluable source.Girls basketball is my life. I coach girls high school basketball. I also teach young girls in basketball. This book is about the love for a game and the struggle of thousands of women to get equal gym time, equal pay and equal recognition. Great female basketball players have tremendous opportunity today. The great players of past decades became footnotes in sports history. This book does a good job of honoring all who have ever fell in love with the small orange sphere. Read this book and you will appreciate everything that girls' and womens' basketball is today. If you love girls basketball like I do, this is an informative, exciting and fun read.