Arthur Meyerhoff

Arthur E. Meyerhoff (1895–1986) was an advertising agency executive and entrepreneur. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.

Meyerhoff founded his own agency, Arthur Meyerhoff Associates, in 1932 after persuading the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company that he could arrange for newspapers to place advertisements for Wrigley chewing gum on their comic pages. He then got the newspapers to agree to the idea.

During World War II, Philip K. Wrigley was in charge both of the Wrigley Company and the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball club. Wrigley decided to found the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League as a promotional sideline to maintain interest in baseball as the military draft was depleting Major League rosters of first-line players. He approached other Major League team owners, but the idea was not well received. Then, four non-Major League cities were selected that were in close proximity to the AAGPBL headquarters in Chicago and close to each other: Rockford of Illinois, South Bend of Indiana and Racine and Kenosha of Wisconsin. Meyerhoff was given the responsibility of coordinating operations with city officials and civic leaders in the communities, as well as a projected budget was developed. In 1943 the league made an auspicious debut, but after the 1944 season Wrigley sold the AAGPBL to Meyerhoff.

It was under Meyerhoff management that expansion to six teams, as well as the publicity campaign of the AAGPBL reached its peak. He re-organized the league so that each franchise would be governed through a League Board of Directors with representatives from each franchise. Each club now had a voice in the adoption of rules and regulations and the direction of the sport. All assets were turned over to the new directors and Wrigley was no longer involved with the league. The AAGPBL excelled in attendance and performing during the 1948 season, when 10 teams attracted 910,000 paid fans.

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