Introduction
Babe Didrikson Zaharias was a legendary athlete and an easy choice to write a report on, her story inspired me. I am currently a member of the Texas A&M Golf Team, and have spent my entire life working to reach this point, with the goal being to eventually play at the professional level. As I read the essay entitled, “Babe Didrikson Zaharias: The “Texas Tomboy,” I couldn’t imagine playing at such a extraordinary level in more than one sport. This achieve is made all the more impressive by that fact that she faced such opposition along the way to achieving her dreams. Babe may not have always been well received, but she never let anything stand in the way of her success, and I hope that one day I can adopt a similar mentality in both my athletic game and life.
Athletic Achievements
Babe Didrikson Zaharias is widely regarded as one of the most successful female athletes. She was born on June 26th, 1911 in Port Arthur, Texas to immigrant parents (Andrews, 2016). Her birth name was Mildred, but she earned the name “Babe”, after Babe Ruth, at a young age, by scoring frequent homeruns playing neighborhood baseball (Andrews, 2016). Her career as an athlete did not stop there; by the age of fifteen she was a successful member of her high school basketball team, and by nineteen had dropped out of high school to become a star member of the Dallas Golden Cyclones basketball team (Britannica, 2018). This team led by Babe, went on to win national championship from 1930-1932, earning her the distinction of Women’s Amateur Athletic Union All-American forward those same years (Zaharias, Babe Didrikson, 2004). During her time with the Golden Cyclones, Babe turned her focus towards track, and in 1931 competed in an AAU Olympic qualifying meet, where she won gold in five separate events, setting the records in four of the events, and silver in a sixth (Zaharias, Babe Didrikson, 2004). The next year Babe returned, competed as a one women team and won the team championship besting a team that was comprised of twenty-two athletes (Zaharias, Babe Didrikson, 2004). After her record setting qualifiers, Babe went on to compete in the 1932 Olympics in three events. Her interests or talent were not what limited her participation however; at the time women could not compete in more than three events due to the perceived nature that they were too frail for the additional strain of more than three events (Zaharias, Babe Didrikson, 2004). She went on to win the gold metal in javelin throwing and 80-meter hurdles. She would have won a third Olympic metal that day in high jump, where she set a world-record, but was denied the gold in this category due to a disqualification for proceeding over the bar head first rather than feet first, which was the standard at the time (Zaharias, Babe Didrikson, 2004). Babe was introduced to the game of golf during the 1932 Olympics and took to it instantaneously, immediately driving the ball regularly two hundred and fifty yards (Babe Zaharias, n.d.). She won the first gold tournament she entered in 1934, and went on to win the Texas State Championship a year later (Babe Zaharias, n.d.). She went on to have a long successful career as a professional golfer winning thirty-eight of the one hundred and thirty-five events she played in, including the U.S. Women’s Open three times (Babe Zaharias, n.d.).
Personal Life
During an exhibition golf tournament Babe was partnered with George Zaharias, a professional wrestler at the time. She was allegedly taken with the fact that he could out driver her (Andrews, 2016). The pair married later that year and Mr. Zaharias took a step back from wrestling to manage Babe’s golfing career (Babe Zaharias, n.d.). The Zaharias seemed like a perfect match to the outside world, but there were rumors of discontent. The largest source of gossip was Babe’s connection with fellow golfer Betty Dodd. The two were inseparable, further proven by Dodd’s move into the Zaharias household home. The pair never verified their relationship, but according to members of the press at the time, it was public information (Zaharias, Babe Didrikson, 2004). In 1953, Babe came to the harsh realization that she had malignant colon cancer and underwent surgery to eradicate the tumor. The surgery was unsuccessful, as the tumor had spread and become further inoperable (Schwartz, n.d.). Mrs. Zaharias was told that she would never play golf again, but Babe was a fighter (Andrews, 2016). In a short fourteen weeks she was back on the course, and went on to win the U.S. Women’s open for a third time, which then earned her a the title of Female Athlete of the Year for a sixth time (Zaharias, Babe Didrikson, 2004). At the age of forty-five, cancer took Babe Didrikson Zaharias’ life, but her impact on the female sports community and game of golf endured (Zaharias, Babe Didrikson, 2004).
Hardships and Contributions to Women’s Athletics
Babe was known for her attitude, and not in a positive way. She was viewed as an egocentric and arrogant player, who did what she could to fight for more than just victory, but also attention (Zaharias, Babe Didrikson, 2004). This attitude tended to rub other female players the wrong way, and even worse so, the media. Mrs. Zaharias fought constant backlash from the media for her lack of femininity and devotion to the game rather than more womanly pursuits (Zaharias, Babe Didrikson, 2004). At the time it was widely believed that women should not participate in athletic events. Most wanted her to be attentive to men, rather than try to emulate them (Andrews, 2016). Babe was allegedly hurt by the constant criticism, but never let it affect her game. Mrs. Zaharias challenged standing gender typecasts by both boasting a masculine style and attitude, and being financial independent (Zaharias, Babe Didrikson, 2004). Babe’s challenge against gender stereotypes progressed further, as she paved the way for integration of sexes in tournament play. In 1938, she entered the Male Los Angeles Open, and while she was not successful in her pursuit of victory, she made history simply by attending (Andrews, 2016). Babe’s contribution to women’s golf goes beyond challenging men, however; she along with 12 other golfers established the Ladies Professional Golf Association, in order to provide more opportunities for competitive play for women (Andrews, 2016).
Conclusion
Babe Didrikson Zaharias is quoted with saying, “My goal was to be the best athlete who ever lived.” Babe accomplished her goal to some degree and was voted the greatest female athlete of the first half of the twentieth century by the Associate Press (). Babe is seen as a player who chased fame and opportunity for herself, and while this may be true, her commitment to her athletic success and strong stance against gender discrimination paved the way for future female athletes. She will forever go down in history as not only an amazing athlete however, but also an unknowing revolutionary against athletic gender discrimination.