History of the Negro Baseball Leagues & Jackie Robinson Integration into Major League Baseball

Early Days

African-Americans played baseball since the sport spread across the country during the Civil War and the segregation of baseball began shortly thereafter. As early as 1867, the National Association of Amatuer Base Ball Players rejected African-American clubs seeking to join. In 1888, Moses Fleetwood Walker became the first African-American to play in the American Association which is considered a major league. When Cap Anson, a prominent white baseball player, refused to play against Walker, other white players followed his refusal. By the early 1890s, no African-Americans were playing major league baseball. As the 20th century began, the owners of Major League Baseball teams had a gentleman’s agreements which prohibited black baseball players from playing in the major leagues. African-Americans, however, formed their own teams and traveled around the country, “barnstorming” to find competition. The gate receipts from their games were typically controlled by white booking agents who determined when and where the black teams could play and how much of the receipts they would receive. These barnstorming games were not an organized league like the major leagues were until a dominant African-American pitcher, Andrew “Rube” Foster, set forth his plan to form a league where the African-American stars can properly display their talents.

Key Players or Coaches

Upon the formation of the Negro Leagues legends were quickly born. Rube Foster was the biggest star of the early Negro Leagues when the Negro National League was formed in 1920. Some of the biggest stars from the Negro Leagues never played Major League Baseball, including Rube Foster, Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Martin Dihigo, Buck O’NeilTurkey Stearns, Judy Johnson Buck Leonard and Oscar Robertson. During the later years of the Negro Leagues, many of the stars such as Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Henry Aaron, Wllie Mays, Satchel Paige, Larry Doby, and Ernie Banks, eventually became major league legends.

League Formation and Locations

In 1919, Andrew “Rube” Foster, one of the most skilled and famous black baseball players of his time wrote columns in the “Chicago Defender” in which he advanced the need for a black professional baseball league. In February 2020, African-American team owners met at a YMCA in Kansas City to discuss forming an African-American baseball league. Foster arrived with an official charter document for the owners to sign to create the Negro National League. On February 13, 2020, the Negro National League was formed, featuring teams in Chicago, Cininnatti, Dayton, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City and St. Louis. Rival African-American leagues including the Negro Southern League and the Eastern Colored League were soon formed. The Negro Southern League was formed on March 2, 1920, and featured teams across the South including, Atlanta, Birgmingham and New Orleans. The Eastern Colored League was formed in 1923 and featured teams in the New York City and Philadelphia areas. The financial hardship of the Great Depression caused most African-American leagues to shutdown. Soon thereafter, new negro leagues formed. The Negro American League was formed in 1936, with ten teams, including the Birmingham Black Barons, Chicago American Giants and Kansas City Monarchs. Another major African-American league, the new Negro National League was formed in 1933, with teams in both the east and midwest, including Chicago, Kansas City and New York.

Yogi Berra Museum and Negro Leagues Exhibit

The Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center showcases an exhibit, Discover Greatness, which highlights Negro League artifacts and illustrates the rich history of African-American baseball from its beginnings in the late 1800s through the 1960s. The exhibit explores the history and struggles of African-Americans in baseball and teaches about concepts such as the Jim Crow laws, the great migration of African-Americans from the south to the north and the overarching issues of systemic racism and social justice. The exhibit includes a slideshow about the birth and growth the Negro Leagues, a short video documentary by historian, Ken Burns about Jackie Robinson’s first days with the Brooklyn Dodgers, an exhibit which allows visitors to compare Yogi Berra’s career to the careers’ of Negro League players and discover stories of Negro League stars and their teams and an activity that uses baseball cards to show the structural inequalities that existed in baseball in 1951.

Jackie Robinson Enters Major League Baseball

Jackie Robinson began playing Major League Baseball in 1945 with the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro American Leagues. In August 1945, he met Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who was determined to find a black baseball player to break the color barrier. On October 23, 1945, Jackie Robinson signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1946, he played with the Dodgers, minor league team in Montreal. On opening day in 1947, Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier as the Brooklyn Dodgers’ first basemen.

Segregation of Fans into Major League Baseball

In the early 20th century, many Major League Baseball stadiums allowed Africans-Americans to attend games, but often segregated them into certain sections of the stadium. The influx of African-American players brought a new population of fans to the Major Leagues as African-American fans followed their favorite players. Jackie Robinson not only integrated baseball on the field, he integrated the stands as well. However, integration in the stands did not happen overnight, as many ballparks in the South still segregated fans by race. This segregation continued even after the Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education ruled separate is not equal.

People that Helped Desegregate Professional Baseball

Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey were the two men primarily responsible for integrating Major League Baseball. Rickey used his position as owner of the Dodgers to integrate baseball and Jackie Robinson was the first African-American Major League Baseball player. Rickey publicized Robinson’s signing nationwide and through the black press with his connections to Wendell Smith, a reporter at the Pittsburgh Courier. Additionally, Clyde Sukeforeth was the Dodgers’ scout who scouted Jackie Robinson for Branch Rickey.

Jackie Robinson Criticism and Welcoming Response from Fans

Before Jackie Robinson ever stepped onto a Major League field, all fifteen of the other clubs voted against allowing him or any other black player to be placed on a Major League roster. A report was unanimously adopted at a joint meeting of the Major Leagues which stated, “However well intention, the use of Negro players would hazard all the physical properties of baseball”. Reactions to Jackie Robinson ranged from enthusiasm and joy, to hostility and death threats. Despite his great talents, Jackie Robinson faced a great deal of racism upon joining the Brooklyn Dodgers and throughout his career. Robinson bore the brunt of racial epithets from opposing fans, players and managers, as well as hate mail and death threats from fans. Robinson however won the respect of fans and sports writers, even winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1947. Jackie was quickly accepted by Dodger fans as a favorite as the fans easily saw how talented he was.

Opinions of Jackie Robinson from the Negro Baseball Players

Many Negro League players were thankful for Jackie Robinson. They saw how important he was in affecting change as he was at the beginning of the modern day civil rights movement. Some of the older players resented that Jackie Robinson was given the chance to break the Major League color barrier as they did not believe as he was the most talented African-American player of his time. Many of the African-American players who entered the Major Leagues after Jackie Robinson such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Ernie Banks looked up to Robinson and sought to continue his legacy of helping African-Americans integrate into baseball. Hank Aaron once said about Jackie Robinson, “He was my hero and always has been. Not only for the baseball he played, but simply because of the person he was.”.

Major League Baseball Today

Following Jackie Robinson’s integration of Major League Baseball, Arican-American players became an increasing presence on the field, reaching 18.7% in 1981. However, since 1981, the percentage of African-American players has declined dramatically to 6.7%. One reason for the declining participation of African-Americans in baseball is that the sport is becoming increasingly less affordable, particularly for minorities. In the 1980s, most towns had their own little league teams, which were affordable. Since then, club and elite travel teams started to develop which cost money which and a lot of people could not afford to play on these teams.

MLB Key Social Issues & Negro Baseball Leagues

Racism did not end when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier and it still continues in baseball today. There is still a lack of diversity in Major League Baseball front offices despite the existence of the Selig Rule, which requires teams to interview minorities when there is an opening. Major League Baseball has undertaken several initiatives over the past 30 years to increase minority participation in baseball including its Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities. RBI is an international campaign to provide disadvantage youth and opportunity to learn about and enjoy the game of baseball and provide grants for baseball related programs. The Dream Series is a showcase which focuses on pitching and catching for diverse group of elite highschool athletes.

MLB Raising Awareness for Negro Baseball Leagues

In December 2020, Major League Baseball officially granted major league status to seven Negro leagues that operated between 1920 and 1948. As a result, more than 3,400 Negro Leaguers are now considered major leaguers and their achievements, statistics and records officially became a part of major league history. Even prior to this official decision, Major League Baseball celebrated the Negro Leagues. On August 15, 2020, all Major League Baseball clubs celebrated the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Negro National League. All players, managers, coaches and umpires wore a commemorative patch on their uniforms and clubs held other ballpark and digital engagement activities throughout the season to honor the anniversary, such as wearing throwback jerseys, honoring Negro League teams and holding special ceremonies. Additionally, in June 2021, Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced a new digital and social media campaign to support the Negro Leagues 101 initiative led by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. The initiative involves the release of a daily fact about the Negro Leagues by a major League baseball player, legend, youth or softball player or other representative of baseball.

Conclusion

Baseball’s past is tainted by the racism that pervaded the sport and precluded African-Americans from playing in the Major Leagues. African-American baseball existed as early as the Civil War, but not in an organized league format until Rube Foster founded the Negro National League in 1920. From 1920s through the 1950s, separate Negro leagues existed but in terms of visibility, recongition and payment for the players, it was not equal to Major League Baseball. In 1947, Jackie Robinson, broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier which began the integration of the sport. While racism continues in baseball, Major League Baseball has undertaken numerous initiatives to fight racism, attract African-American players and recognize the achievements of the African-American players who played the sport prior to its integration.