Today, we are lucky enough to be living through a golden era in women’s sports. Leagues like the WNBA and PWHL are thriving like never before, and more girls than ever are involved in youth sports. But this success didn’t come about overnight; the path was paved by the women who devoted themselves to sports long before female participation became mainstream. In the 1930s and 1940s, some women participated in small, little-known sports leagues across Canada, playing basketball, softball, and hockey. Ida “Wisey” Bly, a Jewish softball and basketball star in Montreal, was one such woman. Last Tuesday, a celebration honoring Bly and her legacy was hosted at Montreal’s Jewish Public Library, marking the end of its three-month Ida Bly exhibit.
Entering the Jewish Public Library for this event, I felt as if it was a family reunion. All around me, people embraced and caught up with old friends. The items on display included old trophies, uniforms, photos, and other memorabilia from Bly’s career. These objects brought to life Bly’s inspiring athletic accomplishments, as well as her endless energy and sportsmanship.
With her basketball team, the Montreal Olympics, Bly was a seven-time Quebec champion and four-time Eastern Canada Championship winner. In addition to the major softball and basketball leagues in which she competed, Bly played in several men’s versus women’s basketball games that were entertainment for World War ll troops. In one of these games, she scored a stunning eighteen points. Bly’s passion for sports was clear not only in the time she devoted to playing but also in the enduring relationships she built with her teammates, as illustrated by an exhibit photo of a joyous basketball team reunion in 1974.
Bly’s daughters, Sandy Shadowitz, Leona Sternfeld, and Beverley Bly, recall that they knew only a little bit about their mother’s athletic past by looking through her old scrapbooks, but it was not discussed in their home. Some of her close family members, such as a nephew present at the event, were completely unaware that Bly had ever been involved in sports. Still, Bly’s involvement in sports influenced her, and in turn those around her, shaping the woman she became.
As Sandy explained, sports taught Bly that she could do anything she put her mind to and strengthened her independence and perseverance. As a mother, she imparted these traits to her three daughters, motivating them to forge their own paths in life, regardless of societal constraints. Bly’s traits that encouraged athletic success also came through in her loving dedication to her family. The commitment and devotion she showed on her teams were translated into endless energy to support her children and grandchildren. She is fondly remembered tossing a baseball with grandchildren and warmly welcoming family into her home.
Walking away from the Ida Bly event, what stuck with me wasn't simply Bly’s impressive accomplishments, but also the wonder and joy that she inspired in others. More than anything, her legacy is defined by the impact she had on her friends and family, and the generation of young female athletes she helped inspire. The values that Bly learned and exhibited during her career were passed on to all who knew her, building a timeless legacy.
The curator of the exhibit, Ellen Belshaw, spoke passionately about Bly’s accomplishments and how incredibly far women's sports have come since. Seeing the role that sports played in shaping Bly’s incredible character, one can understand the importance of progress in women’s sports. When I asked Sandy about what Ida would have thought about women's sports today, she responded: “she would have been glued to the TV.” The legacy of Ida Bly’s time in sports is present in the way sports shaped the person she was, the way these traits were reflected in her family life, and the generations of women in sports that she helped inspire.
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