Wonder Girl

Author Don Van Natta Jr. has written a biography of Babe Didrikson Zaharias aptly titled Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias.  The book takes a detailed look at the life of one of the great sports pioneers of all time.

See also: Satchel Paige — baseball before Jackie Robinson.

To say that she merely excelled at every sport she ever played may be an understatement. Babe knew it, too; she was never afraid to brag. When she left high school to pursue her sports career she declared she would become the world’s greatest athlete.

Because she beat everyone, many sportswriters and almost all male athletes become jealous. Being a boisterous female athlete in the 1930s caused many to ignore or slander her. Because of these jealousies, she sometimes had trouble finding places to play sports. Although controversy surrounded much of her career she went on to win many Olympic medals and U.S. Women’s Open golf titles.