2 to govern International competition. The Championships in 1965 developed womens softball by making it an international game a step towards the Pan American Games and the Olympics (World Book). Eleven years later, women softball players were given the closest equivalent to Major League Baseball with the 1976 formation of the International Womens Professional Softball League. The contracts of the players ranged from $1,000-$3,000 per year. The contracts were disbanded in 1980 because of financial ruin. Vicki Schneider, a St.Louis Softball Hall of Famer and former professional player, recalls this league as being the high point of her career (World Book).Throughout the years womens softball, both fastpitch and slowpitch, has constantly been growing and becoming more competitive at an earlier age. The ASA reports that it annually registers over 260,000 teams combining to form a membership of more than 4.5 million (Cohen 51). Increased media coverage and the Olympics have greatly contributed to the progression of Womens Softball. Vicki Schneider also commented that there is obviously some special appeal of fastpitch sofball that has allowed it to steadily grow in popularity through the years. Throughout history softball has come a long way. In 1943 Philip K. Wringly established the All-American Girls Softball League which was the forerunner of the AAGBL (All American Girls Baseball League) (Cohen 49). Also at this time, women who signed up to serve in the armed forces during WWII brought their love of softball with them. They brought gloves, bats, and balls for use in their spare time. In 1943 Time Magazine estimated that there were 40,000 semi-pro womens softball teams (Macy 89). At this time womens baseball had basically the same rules as womens softball except the distance of the baselines and pitching distances were longer in baseball and in baseball there was leading off unlike in softball. In 1950 Margaret Dobson was the wo...
