The Negro Leagues and Baseball
In the early to mid-twentieth century, Negroes were discriminated on to the extent of everything they did. They were discriminated on by whites and were separated in their daily rituals. For example they would have to use a different restroom reserved for only Negroes or they would have to use a different water fountain reserved for Negroes as well. The Negro life was no fun and extremely unwelcoming. Everything was separated and distinguished between Negroes and whites, so the Negroes made their own facilities and institutions. One of the institutions they made was called the Negro Leagues. Since Major League Baseball was only open to white men, Negro men were not allowed in the league no matter how much talent they had.
The Negro Leagues started out around the same time the Major Leagues started which was 1867. The early Negro Leagues that were established in the 1860 to 1900 really were not established and organized, but were more like an amateur league for Negros to play the sport of baseball. It wasn’t until the American League was established in 1901 when the Negro Leagues became more popular. The Negro Leagues had lots of potential talent, but players from these leagues were not welcomed in the Major Leagues because no team would take the risk of having a Negro on their team. Besides the fact that there were the Negro Leagues, it was not just one league, but there were many Negro Leagues. For example, the National Negro League (NNL) was one of the first nationally based leagues for Negroes. Founded by Andrew “Rube” Foster, he brought together owners of the Midwestern teams and settled an agreement to make the league. It got the most recognition during its time which was initially establish...
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... were worthy to play in the Major Leagues. He then took in Jackie Robinson for an interview and asked him if he could handle the racial comments that were to come” (Kenny 36). Robinson believed that he could handle it and was signed to the Montreal Royals, who were in the Minor Leagues.
He excelled exceptionally in the 1946 season, where he was awarded the Most Valuable Player award. In the next season, Robinson was moved up to the Major Leagues in 1947, where he would break the color barrier of Major League Baseball. Though he was not the best player to be picked out of the Negro Leagues, he was the most revolutionary. Robinson risked his life to pursue the majors and opened a whole new world to the other Negroes. On April 15, 1947, “Jackie Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut, hoarding in over 26,000 spectators, 14,000 which were Negroes” (Kenny 37).
“In 1946, there were sixteen Major League Baseball teams, with a total of 400 players on their rosters, every one of the players was white. But when opening day came in 1947, that number dropped to 399, and one man stood apart. (42 2:30)” Jack Roosevelt “Jackie” Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut on April 15, 1947, as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Making Jackie Robinson the first African-American to play Major League Baseball (MLB). Jackie’s transition from the Negro Leagues to MLB was not an easy one. As a player, he transitioned very well, but it was Robinson’s teammates, Dodgers fans, the opposing teams and their fans that tested Jackie every chance they got, some hotels even prohibited the Dodgers to stay in their establishments
Anything a person might want to know about Negro League Baseball can be found in the mind of Tweed Webb. Negro League Baseball is this man's specialty thanks to his father, a semi-pro player and manager. If not for his father, Normal Tweed Webb might never have played shortstop with the St. Louis Black Sox while attending high school and continuing on even while he went to business college where he took a two-year business course taking up bookkeeping and typing. Tweed played ball until 1934. When he was attending a St. Louis school, dressed head to toe in tweed, one of his classmates decided there and then to give him the moniker Tweed.
He spent his whole professional career with the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947-1956. He put up crazy numbers during his career which led to 6 all-star team selections, a World Series championship, Rookie of the Year, NL MVP, 2 time stolen base leader and a league batting champion. Jackie wore number 42, which was later retired by the MLB. He was later inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962. Jackie Robinson should not only be recognized for his on-field accomplishments, but for what it took for him to get there as well. Throughout all of the racism in America and baseball, he endured it and pushed through it to set himself up for ultimate success. He endured the hardships of being the only African-American in the league at the time and taking all the hate from the racists, while still putting up remarkable numbers. Even as a white man during the time of integration in baseball you could have nothing but respect for Jackie Robinson. Especially if you were a Dodgers fan, considering he did accomplish many things not even the best white baseball players were
Robinson began playing baseball professionally after being discharged from the army. He started playing in the Negro Leagues, because at this time the sport was segregated and African Americans and whites had to play in different leagues.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Whether it was on the football field, on the basketball court, or out on the baseball field, Robinson encountered quite a bit of success wherever he went. (cite) Despite the talents of many African American baseball players, many were deemed inferior to their white counterparts. The sense of inferiority led many baseball players and owners of the teams in the Negro leagues to adjust to the status quo, however, Robinson was not one to simply seek to fulfill the status quo. Robinson was unwilling to conform with what mainstream society tried to force him to conform with, he constantly told his teammates that they should always be ready, someday one of them would be signed to break the color barrier and play in organized ball (cite to pg 48). Unlike many of his peers, he felt a different calling in the sport of baseball.
In a more focused sense, the Negro Leagues were an alternative league all in its own. It was primarily established for African Americans so they could play baseball, since they were prohibited from experiencing any type or activity with whites. The reason this league was separate was because of the Jim Crow laws that had been enacted during the early 1900's, but in an opinionated note, I feel that whites simply didn't want to be outdone by their counterparts - African Americans. They basically stated that African Americans could not participate in any activity with whites, whether it is of public or unsocial nature. These laws displayed the mentality of the time, which inevitably filtered into the realm of baseball; at this point, segregation had gone so far as to prohibit any blacks from merely playing baseball with whites. It was not until 1933, when "a former pitcher, Andrew 'Rube' Foster, formed the first black league, called the Negro National League, which contained such teams as the St. Louis Stars, Pittsburgh Crawfords, Philadelphia Stars, New York Lincoln Giants, and the Newark Eagles." Then, "in 1937, the Negro American League was formed to rival the opposing Negro National League that consisted of the Memphis Red Sox, Kansas City Monarchs, Cleveland Buckeyes, Detroit Stars, and the Hilldale Daisies." (What Are…Leagues: Internet) The two leagues "continued to go strong until the color line was broken in 1947, when the great Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers." Because of this, "…the Negro National League folded following the 1948 season and the Negro American League [folded]…in 1960." (What Are…Leagues: Internet) Moreover, just...
The time came on April 15, 1947 when the man who would change all this stepped up to bat marking the first time an African American played in the major leagues. Jackie Robinson was the man and the hero of baseball to the black people. With much hope Jackie Robinson and the African American race marked the beginning of the struggle for the ultimate goal which was equality. Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia. He was the son of a sharecropper and life wasn’t ea...
Following the Jim Crow laws of the time, The Monarchs were an all-black league. There was no official law prohibiting black people from playing in major league sports, but the separation was silently and persistently enforced by all owners, presidents, and associates of virtually every major league sports team. Robinson’s luck would change and the U.S.’s view of race would be challenged in 1947, when the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey, recruited Robinson into the major leagues.
Following the desegregation of major league baseball, in 1948, President Harry S. Truman officially desegregated the United States Military. In 1954, segregation was ruled unconstitutional by Brown v. Board of Education. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination in voting, employment, and the use of public activities (“Timeline of Desegregation and Civil Rights”). These important events may have occurred without the help of Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson, but breaking the color line in professional sports directly and indirectly made the United States a better nation. Jackie Robinson breaking the color line in 1947 created a domino effect and helped to diminish some of the greatest social issues throughout the United States.
The differences between black and white players has been going on for a long time since the early 1920’s. The players have always been at each other since the Negro Leagues have been around. There were two players that made the transition from the Negro Leagues to the Majors and those players were Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson. Most people know of Robinson more than Paige because of the Brooklyn Dodgers recruiting him from Kansas City Monarchs. Satchel Paige was a pitcher from the Kansas City Monarchs like Robinson but he was recruited to the Cleveland Indians at the time.
Jackie Robinson overcame many struggles in life such as being included in the civil rights movement, facing discrimination, and he achieved being the first black man in major league baseball. He was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia on Hadley Ferry Road. It is a blue-collar town of about 10,000 people. Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the major leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Even though he achieved this major goal he still had trouble getting there. He and his siblings were raised by his single mother. Jackie attended Muir High School and Pasadena Junior College. He was a great athlete and played many sports. He played football, basketball, track, and of course baseball. He left school in 1941, worked as an athletic director and played semiprofessional football for the Honolulu Bears before being drafted to the Army in 1942. While he was in the army he became close friends with Joe Louis. The heavyweight used his popularity to protest about the delayed entry of black soldiers. Two years later he got the honor to be second lieutenant in 1943. After an accident where he refused to sit in the back of an unsegregated bus, military police arrested Robinson. A duty officer requested this and then later he requested that Jackie should be court martialed. Since this happened Jackie was not allowed to be deployed overseas to the World War II. He never saw combat during the war. Jackie left the Army with an honorable discharge.
The Negro Baseball League was a league comprised of professional, African American baseball players. The creation of this league comes from the black players who were not accepted into major or minor league baseball. Generally, The Negro Baseball league was a reflection of America during a time when society was segregated. The Negro Baseball League was influential to the 1920s because it changed the social development of America and demonstrated a sense of equality among men.
Robinson broke the color barrier, and the challenges, and his life helped him achieve his goal. Robinson finally broke the color barrier and made history in professional baseball forever. Jackie Robinson had some major challenges he had to overcome. Like players not wanting to play with him. Jackie had an amazing life and made a very big impact on the world. If it weren't for Robinsons motivation and challenges he overcame but he still achieved his goal as breaking the color
According to Jessie Jackson, "A champion wins a World Series or an Olympic event and is hoisted on the shoulders of the fans. A hero carries the people on his shoulders" (Robinson 3). This is what made Jackie Robinson a hero to African-Americans. Robinson's achievement goes beyond the statistics and championships he earned on the field. He opened the door for his entire race to play professional sports and gain acceptance as more desegregation took place. After fighting in World War II from 1941 until 1944, Jackie played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues from 1944 until 1946. In 1946, he was selected as the best person to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
Historical and sociological research has shown, through much evidence collection and analysis of primary documents that the American sporting industry can give an accurate reflection, to a certain extent, of racial struggles and discrimination into the larger context of American society. To understand this stance, a deep look into aspects of sport beyond simply playing the game must be a primary focus. Since the integration of baseball, followed shortly after by American football, why are the numbers of African American owners, coaches and managers so very low? What accounts for the absence of African American candidates from seeking front office and managerial roles? Is a conscious decision made by established members of each organization or is this matter a deeper reflection on society? Why does a certain image and persona exist amongst many African American athletes? Sports historians often take a look at sports and make a comparison to society. Beginning in the early 1980’s, historians began looking at the integration of baseball and how it preceded the civil rights movement. The common conclusion was that integration in baseball and other sports was indeed a reflection on American society. As African Americans began to play in sports, a short time later, Jim Crow laws and segregation formally came to an end in the south. Does racism and discrimination end with the elimination of Jim Crow and the onset of the civil rights movement and other instances of race awareness and equality? According to many modern sports historians and sociologists, they do not. This paper will focus on the writings of selected historians and sociologists who examine th...