Sun Sox

[Capital City Goofball]

I am looking for information about a proposed women's baseball team known as the Florida Sun Sox... I found this excerpt about them on the website http://www.coloradosilverbullets.org:

The formation of the Colorado Silver Bullets actually began 10 years ago, in 1984, when Silver Bullets Club President Bob Hope attempted to field a team of female baseball players in the minor leagues - the Sun Sox. His goal was to give women a foothold in the major-league system through a franchise in the Class A Florida State League. The dream never materialized.

I also found this image in the Chicago Tribune's photo archive:

Sun Sox.JPG

[Capital City Goofball]

An article from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Aug 16, 1984 about the Sun Sox:

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[Capital City Goofball]

Excerpts from the book No Girls in the Clubhouse: The Exclusion of Women from Baseball by Marilyn Cohen:

Sun Sox 1.png
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[Capital City Goofball]

More from No Girls in the Clubhouse: The Exclusion of Women from Baseball by Marilyn Cohen:

Sun Sox 6.png
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[Capital City Goofball]

From the Boca Raton News - Sep 18, 1984:

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[Capital City Goofball]

So I'd like to know, after the Sun Sox and the Silver Bullets, will there ever be an opportunity for an all-women's team to play baseball in a men's organized league? I feel like the barnstorming route is detrimental to the development of the women's side of the game because they rely on just one main sponsor to keep the team afloat. If the team had a home, they can develop a fan base and use local sponsors and local advertising to sell the team and make money... With all of the independent leagues in existence, perhaps now is the opportunity to create a team... There are also a few summer collegiate organizations out there that run schedules like the minor leagues (Northwoods League and the West Coast League), perhaps they could become the home of an all-women's club...

[clayadams]

Thanks for the articles goofball. As the father of a young female baseball player, I do quite enjoy reading such articles. Personally, I don't believe a girl will ever have the required physical abilities to compete in the Majors...EXCEPT for a knuckleball pitcher. The article listed the biggest obstacle I see, girls simply don't play baseball. If they did, I believe there are a handful of genetically gifted females that could do well in high school, some college and even low level minor leagues.

Personally, I'm thrilled that Team USA has a Women's National Team. It's my hope that eventually there will be more girls' teams playing in LL and up. We live right down the road from the Team USA complex in Cary, NC. This past summer my daughter was allowed out on the field during the tryouts for the WNT, and that just made her day/week/month! She's got her eyes set on the Team USA now. However, I seriously doubt there are but handful of young girls in the US that know a WNT for baseball even exists. That's, by far, the biggest hurdle "Boys play baseball, girls play softball..."

Please... keep posting when you find articles like this!