Figure 1.-- Maria Pepe was a little Hoboken girl who liked to play baseball. She joined a Hoboken Little League team in 1972. She was a good player, in fact she was a very good player. Other teams complained. After a few games she was thrown off the team because she was a girl. Here is Maria in 1974 after her case was decided.

Maria Pepe was a little Hoboken girl who loved to play baseball. One is reminded of Lou Henry Hoover, another little girl who loved baseball. Lou Hoover never played on a baseball team, but as an adult she became active in women's athletics. By the time Maria was a little girl, American boys commonly played in Little League. Maria liked baseball so much that she also wanted to play on a Little League team. She joined a Hoboken Little League team in 1972. She was a good player, in fact she was a very good player. Other teams complained. After a few games she was thrown off the team because she was a girl. The incident received considerable publicity at the time. The New York Civil Rights office filed a case to support Maria. It took some time, but the League lost and could no longer exclude girls. It was too late for Maria, she had outgrown the age limit for Little League. But because of Maria, other little girls can now play Little League.

Created: 8:15 PM 11/26/2006
Last updated: 8:15 PM 11/26/2006