On Saturday, June 2, 2018, at 1:00 p.m., in Rockford, IL, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos will play in the Rockford Peaches 75th Anniversary Exhibition Game. Congresswoman Bustos will be playing on the “Celebrity Team” against the Rockford Starfires.
Her teammates will include” A League of Their Own” film actress Megan Cavanagh; State Senators Dave Syverson and Steve Stadelman; Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara and Alderman Johnathan Logemann; several local media personalities.
The game will be held at Beyer Stadium, 245 15th Avenue, Rockford, IL 61104.
The Rockford Peaches were a flag-ship team in The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, later memorialized in the movie, “A League of Their Own.” The Rockford Peaches paved the way for female athletes and helped to usher in Title IX. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects people from discrimination based on sex, in education programs or activities which receive Federal financial assistance. President Richard Nixon signed the bill on June 23, 1972.
Congresswoman Bustos was a former college athlete shortly after Title IX was passed. She attributes much of her ability to pursue her love of sports to these trailblazing women. Bustos also plays in the Congressional Women’s Softball Game every year, to raise money for breast cancer research.