Segregation in America was inescapable in the early 20th century, encompassing even its favorite pastime. Black baseball players were banned from the major and minor leagues, and relegated to the Negro Leagues. Despite being poorly supplied and receiving lesser pay than their white counterparts, the most talented baseball teams and players of the age emerged from the Negro Leagues. In fact, black teams won the most all-star black vs. white games, catching the attention of a man named Branch Rickey, the manager of the famed Brooklyn Dodgers.
Rickey was responsible for the beginning of the end of segregation on the baseball field. In 1947, he hired Jackie Robinson, the first black athlete to play major league baseball, effectively breaking baseball’s color line. In his rookie season, Robinson led the league in stolen bases, was 2nd in runs scored, and tied for team lead in home runs. He paved the way for other African-American athletes into major league teams.
Soon, all African-American players who showed promise were signed by major league teams, often disregarding previous contracts with Negro league teams. Negro league owners found themselves in an unenviable no-win position. Even if they succeeded in upholding their contracts, they would interfere with the advancement of integration. So the Negro leagues slowly but surely faded into oblivion.
The Negro Leagues
Jackie Robinson
“I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me. All I ask is that you respect me as a human being,” Jackie Robinson to his Brooklyn Dodger teammates in 1947
Just as the inclusion of former slaves in the Union army signaled their acceptance in society, the entry of Jackie Robinson into the Brooklyn Dodgers marked yet another significant milestone in the history of African-Americans. Jackie Roosevelt Robinson (yes, named after former President Theodore Roosevelt) came from humble beginnings. He belonged to a family of sharecroppers and grew up in poverty in Georgia. His extraordinary athletic abilities were recognized at an early age, earning him admission into UCLA. He was discovered by famed baseball scout Branch Rickey, and upon his shoulders fell the responsibility of changing the nation’s attitudes towards the integration of African Americans into the exclusively white world of baseball. He was the first to cross baseball’s color line.
Rickey chose Robinson not only because he was an outstanding athlete, but because he was strong and willing to stand up for his rights. If someone had to brave the name-calling, threats, and violence that came with being the only colored ballplayer, Robinson was the man for the job. When push came to shove, he did the job very well. From the start of his major league career, he was badly abused by members of other teams as well as his own, but he resisted the urge to fight back. By the end of his first season, he had become a nation-wide baseball star!
SEGREGATION
SCRAP MAGAZINE
16