Ida Schnall (27 August 1889 - 14 February 1973) was the captain of the New York Female Giants baseball team, an advocate for women's sports, and later a Hollywood actress.

[1][2] Born in Austria, Ida was raised in the Bronx, New York, the daughter of Priva (Pauline) and Burnett (Bernard) Schnall; her father was a cloak manufacturer.

[5] She was a loyal baseball fan, who often attended major league games; she even asked the players for pointers on how to play better, and some, like Christy Mathewson obliged.

She believed that a knowledge of sports was essential for a successful relationship: she advised young women to "cut out the beauty culture"—to stop worrying about how they looked or whether their makeup was perfect—and be willing to spend time outdoors, attending a baseball game, going sailing, or taking a swim.

The man who ruled that the American women, including Ida Schnall, would not be allowed to compete was James Edward Sullivan of the United States Olympic Committee.

Unfortunately, Ida felt the mayor sent her a dismissive and patronizing reply, but she was undaunted, telling reporters she would continue to fight for women to be allowed greater participation in athletics.

At some point circa the late 1930s, her husband anglicized his last name to something that sounded more typically American, a common custom at a time when antisemitism and anti-immigrant sentiments were on the rise.

In interviews, she talked about her techniques for managing the housework, raising the kids, darning her husband's socks and cooking his favorite meals, while still finding time to go to the gym and exercise.

She liked to combine exercise with entertainment, and one of her most popular performances was diving off the wing of an airplane into the ocean, a stunt she debuted at Coney Island in June 1921, under the auspices of the New York Daily News.

While living in New York and raising her sons, she also made time to teach athletics and physical education to young women at the Flatbush Jewish Communal Center.