Last updated: October 3, 2021
Place
Manzanar Baseball
Ansel Adams
Quick Facts
Location:
eastern boundary, within barbed wire
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
“Putting on a baseball uniform was like wearing the American flag.”
Takeo Suo
At Manzanar’s main baseball field, thousands of fans gathered for epic match-ups between the Scorpions, Padres, Has-Beens, and other teams in the camp’s 12 leagues. Baseball was a powerful symbol of an American way of life that boosted morale and brought some sense of normalcy to a confined community. By summer 1942, nearly 100 men’s and 14 women’s softball teams were playing a full schedule of games. Teams like the San Fernando Aces and San Pedro Gophers came intact from their pre-war communities while other teams formed in camp. The ManzaKnights grew out of a popular young men’s social club while older men formed their own league. Women’s teams included the Dusty Chicks.
Those incarcerated here joined sports of virtually every kind—basketball, volleyball, tennis, judo, sumo, weight-lifting, and golf—to combat boredom and stay active. But baseball was king! “Without baseball,” said one person, “life at Manzanar would be miserable.”
Takeo Suo
At Manzanar’s main baseball field, thousands of fans gathered for epic match-ups between the Scorpions, Padres, Has-Beens, and other teams in the camp’s 12 leagues. Baseball was a powerful symbol of an American way of life that boosted morale and brought some sense of normalcy to a confined community. By summer 1942, nearly 100 men’s and 14 women’s softball teams were playing a full schedule of games. Teams like the San Fernando Aces and San Pedro Gophers came intact from their pre-war communities while other teams formed in camp. The ManzaKnights grew out of a popular young men’s social club while older men formed their own league. Women’s teams included the Dusty Chicks.
Those incarcerated here joined sports of virtually every kind—basketball, volleyball, tennis, judo, sumo, weight-lifting, and golf—to combat boredom and stay active. But baseball was king! “Without baseball,” said one person, “life at Manzanar would be miserable.”