A Phenomenological Study of the Baseball Playing Experience of Girls

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A Phenomenological Study of the Baseball Playing Experience of Girls University of Northern Iowa UNI ScholarWorks Dissertations and Theses @ UNI Student Work 2020 "I was a trailblazer": A phenomenological study of the baseball playing experience of girls AJ Richard University of Northern Iowa Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy Copyright ©2020 AJ Richardson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd Part of the Sports Studies Commons Recommended Citation Richard, AJ, ""I was a trailblazer": A phenomenological study of the baseball playing experience of girls" (2020). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 1070. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/1070 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Work at UNI ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses @ UNI by an authorized administrator of UNI ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Copyright by AJ RICHARD 2020 All Rights Reserved “I WAS A TRAILBLAZER”: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE BASEBALL PLAYING EXPERIENCE OF GIRLS An Abstract of a Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts AJ Richard University of Northern Iowa December 2020 ABSTRACT Baseball is a reflection of America (Briley, 1992). The game is immersed in traditions. Many of these traditions are gendered. Baseball is built on myth, and these myths have served the purpose of keeping baseball white, heterosexual, and male. Baseball is also characteristic of enduring inequalities and discrimination. Sixty years after Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball, owners, managers, coaches, CEOs, and fans are still overwhelmingly white and male (Chang, 2017; Lapchick, 2019). Although the participation of girls in baseball can be traced back to the beginnings of the game, they have faced persistent opposition. According to Batts Maddox (2019), “Choosing to play baseball – not softball – disrupts dominant conceptions of acceptable feminine sporting activity,” (p. 9). Baseball is a way for boys and men to prove their masculinity. What does this mean for girls who play baseball? If baseball is emblematic of America, what does the exclusion of girls and women from the “national pastime” reveal about American culture? The purpose of this study was to discover the essence of the experience of girls playing the male-dominated game of baseball. Through these narratives four themes emerged: complexities and intersections of the different identities of girls, “otherness” as the only girl on the team; a small circle of support, and resiliency despite enormous pressure. “I WAS A TRAILBLAZER”: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE BASEBALL PLAYING EXPERIENCE OF GIRLS A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts AJ Richard University of Northern Iowa December 2020 ii This Study by: AJ Richard Entitled: “I WAS A TRAILBLAZER”: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE BASEBALL PLAYING EXPERIENCE OF GIRLS has been approved as meeting the thesis requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts Date Dr. Kathleen G. Scholl, Chair, Thesis Committee Date Dr. Jennifer J. Waldron, Thesis Committee Member Date Dr. Anne C. Woodrick, Thesis Committee Member Date Dr. Jennifer J. Waldron, Dean, Graduate College iii DEDICATION For Grandma, Mom, and Amy for not giving up on me. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Kathleen Scholl, for encouraging, supporting, challenging, and guiding me in this work. Thank you for your patience, time, and tireless dedication to helping students learn. Thank you to my committee. You have helped me learn and grow more than I knew possible. I would also like to thank the staff at Rod Library for answering countless questions, empowering me through the acquisition of research skills, and assisting me in locating resources. Thanks to One Iowa North for a timely and valuable scholarship which enabled me to complete this work. Thanks to an anonymous friend who proofread and gave invaluable feedback throughout the time it took to initiate, dive in deep, and complete this study. Finally, this study would not have been possible without the willingness of the participants who shared their experiences. Thank you for sharing your time, life experiences, and insight. It will not be forgotten. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 5 Definitions of Terms ....................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................ 8 Historical Overview ........................................................................................................ 8 The Early Days ........................................................................................................... 8 Sport for Girls and Women ....................................................................................... 13 Little League Baseball and Softball .......................................................................... 18 Essentialism and Gender Construction ......................................................................... 21 Intersections .............................................................................................................. 24 Structures .................................................................................................................. 26 Disruption ................................................................................................................. 30 Gender Segregation in Sport ......................................................................................... 31 Separate is Not Equal in Culture and Media ............................................................. 31 Policies and Laws ..................................................................................................... 43 Is Softball “Girls’ Baseball? ..................................................................................... 49 Re-envisioning Sport Categorization ........................................................................ 53 Baseball Development Structures for Girls .................................................................. 55 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 60 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY ................................................................................... 63 Qualitative Research ..................................................................................................... 63 vi Phenomenology............................................................................................................. 64 Research Design............................................................................................................ 66 Participants ................................................................................................................ 66 Bracketing ................................................................................................................. 69 Role of the Researcher .............................................................................................. 70 Data Collection ......................................................................................................... 73 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................ 75 Limitations and Delimitations ....................................................................................... 77 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 78 CHAPTER IV. FINDINGS .............................................................................................. 80 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 80 Demographics of Participants ....................................................................................... 80 Revisions to Interview Questions and Protocol ............................................................ 83 Theme 1: Complexities and Intersections ..................................................................... 84 Summary of Theme 1: Complexities and Intersections ................................................ 90 Theme 2: Otherness ...................................................................................................... 91 Summary of Theme 2: Otherness ................................................................................. 93 Theme 3: Small Support Circle..................................................................................... 93 Summary Theme 3: Small Circle of Support ................................................................ 97 Theme 4: Beyond Resiliency ........................................................................................ 98 Summary Theme 4: Beyond Resiliency ..................................................................... 101 Additional Findings ...................................................................................................
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