Mildred 'Babe' Didrikson Zaharias

Mildred Didrikson Zaharias got the nickname Babe, after the famous baseball player Babe Ruth, in her childhood home when she got five home runs in a pickup game with the neighbors. Didrikson started her life of as a child who seemed interested in sports, even if her name might of have meant anything to the latest generation of sports fans. Babe, who was born almost more than 100 years ago, was said to be 'America's greatest all-around athlete, male or female.' She was also known as 'a woman ahead of her time' because she participated in almost every sport, including men sports, and the Olympics, which was almost impossible to get into since she was a woman in the early 1900's. She was born on June 16, 1911, and died of cancer at age 45 on September 27, 1956. She was born in Texas but with her sports and the Olympics she moved around a lot. During Didrikson's life, she received many awards and accomplishments. She was also known to be inspirational to a lot of the women she played with. Babe Didrikson was a women ahead of her time, she was the first to be dedicated to sports and brave enough to play with the guys.

It was hard for her being a woman in the early 1900's because she was a woman who was into sports. She was an inspiration to show people they can be successful in sports. They believed that women couldn't even do well in sports because they were too weak and didn't have talent. "The first to prove a girl could be stud athlete, babe Didrikson began as a muscular phenomenon who mastered many sports and ended as a brilliant golfer."(American Decades)As her life went on she joined so much different sports. Babe loved all the sports she joined but golf came the most naturally for her. Didrikson definitely proved them wrong showing them that she could be strong and great at sports. Since she proved everyone wrong and she showed people it was possible: "She was a great athlete, but beyond that she was a courageous pioneer blazing a trail in women's sports which others have followed."(Mildred Ella "babe" Didrikson Zaharias (1911-1956))She dominated in all sports and some people talked about how amazing it was that she's was 5'5 and always muscular but never heavy. Some people did tell her she wasn't acting enough like a lady and more like a man. But she didn't let that stop her. She was a phenomenon and women ahead of time motivating many people.

Didrikson's bravery to be happy and do what she loved was great and helped her get over many obstacles. PGA tour, back in the day, was an all men golf tournament that no woman was bold enough to join. "Didrikson became the first woman to play against men in PGA tour event."( Didrikson, women ahead of her time) The first year Babe tried for PGA she didn't make the cut. Later, as she became more experienced, she made it on almost every PGA tour she entered. In January 1945 Didrikson even played in three PGA tournaments. Her bravery also shown out after she was diagnosed with cancer. She then took part in a surgery to try and remove some of it:" Although many feared that her athletic career was over, Zaharias played in a golf tournament only 14 weeks after the surgery." (Babe Didrikson Zaharias) After her surgery she entered a tournament and won another trophy, bringing her the second-oldest woman to win a major LPGA championship tournament. In 1955, her cancer came back and in 1956, after her and her husband established the Babe Zaharias Fund to support cancer clinics, when she passed she passed knowing she was still a top- ranked golfer. Babe Didrikson proved her courage in many ways.

Babe was a great woman and athlete who may have struggled living in the 1900's. Didrikson got through with her bravery, dedication, and inspiration. She was a woman who excelled in a lot of sports. She went through life with people always criticizing her, her looks, and interest of sports. Yet, little did they know that she was a pioneer for many others later on in life. Although Didrikson inspired me because she went against most and did what she loved. She also won Woman Athlete of the Year six times. This proved to her critics that she could do it. She struggled to fit in, but she was defiantly was a women ahead of her time, and she proved that to women worldwide that it was possible to be a stud athlete