The true story
Mildred Didrikson grew up in Beaumont, Texas, and she was good at everything. Neighborhood kids nicknamed her "Babe" after Babe Ruth because she could hit a baseball so far.
In 1932, at the Olympic trials, she entered eight events in a single afternoon and won the team title almost by herself. At the Los Angeles Olympics that summer, women were only allowed to enter three track and field events. Babe won gold in the javelin, gold in the 80-meter hurdles, and silver in the high jump.
Then she kept going. Babe played basketball, baseball and softball, and she even pitched against major league players in exhibition games. But her greatest sport turned out to be golf. She won 10 major championships, and in 1950 she helped found the LPGA, the women's professional golf tour that still exists today.
Back then, many people believed girls shouldn't play sports at all. Babe proved them wrong over and over. In 1950, the Associated Press named her the greatest female athlete of the first half of the century.
Talk about it
- Why do you think women were only allowed to enter three events in 1932?
- Babe was told girls shouldn't play sports. What would you say to someone who told you that you couldn't do something?
- Is it better to be great at one sport or good at many? Why?
Try this
Make a trading card for Babe Didrikson. Put a drawing on the front and her stats on the back: her events, her medals, and her best sport.
Good for: Women's History Month · Biography · Research skills
