A League Of Their Own: Max Chapman Was The Ticket Draw They Needed
With the men off to war, something had to be done regarding America’s favorite pastime. A League of Their Own showcased women in professional baseball but their biggest hurdle was trying to fill the seats. For the Rockford Peaches, it was simple. All they had to be was break the color barrier and all their issues would have been resolved. Max Chapman was their answer.
Imagine watching a professional team come into your backyard knowing you’re not allowed to play. Imagine heading to the stadium only to be turned away because of the way you look. Imagine knowing you have what it takes to not only be competitive but to exceed what everyone else on the field is doing. This is what Max had to deal with.
While the owner was in the stands complaining about empty seats, Max would have had the stands full of supporters. She was not only talented but she was homegrown talent at that. This is like Aaron Judge being born in Brooklyn but playing for the New York Yankees. Some stories just write themselves.
Season 1 of A League of Their Own was great but watching the story unfold of a major character not fully involved with the team was sort of troublesome. Yes, we know and understand the historical period the show was set in, but damn. Let’s change it up a bit. Max on the Peaches would have been great TV.
Comparing the Peaches crowd to those of the Negro Traveling League game is not fair. Once again, we’re talking about professional owners compared to those who are not. The woman on the Peaches understood what Max would have added to the team but that’s just the way life was at the time. But if selling tickets was the main hurdle for Philip Wrigley, he should’ve just bit the bullet, took the harassment, and watched as sales went through the roof.
Maybe in Season 2, we can see some changes here. Maybe Max will take that leap. Everything in the first season was pointing to Max Chapman joining the team. The lead-up was building but in the end, we left Season 1 a bit disappointed. Yes, she did get to play with the traveling team but that’s not the team she wanted. It was the one she had to settle for.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
