prideandpassiontheafrican-americanbaseballexperie.docVIP

Pride and Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience SECTION 1 Cuban Giants season ticket, 1887 Courtesy of Larry Hogan Collection National Baseball Hall of Fame Library Almost as soon as the game’s rules were codified, Americans played baseball so passionately that writers of the time called it a mania. African Americans were no different, but in baseball, as in much of American life, they played mostly in segregated settings, including southern plantations, as early as the 1850s. After the Civil War, African Americans had the opportunity to play ball with white players, even professionally, but those opportunities diminished as Reconstruction ended and segregation became entrenched as part of American culture. By the late 19th century, African Americans had developed baseball to its fullest potential on their own sandlots and diamonds. Black communities took pride in these teams and their dynamic brand of the National Pastime. It was here that black baseball became the seedbed for those talented players who eventually paved the way to integrated baseball. Dozens of barnstorming black teams had developed and were playing around the country by the time the first successful black league was formed in 1920. As the number of black baseball leagues changed and grew, this form of segregated ball was embraced by local towns and neighborhoods, with teams and players earning both legendary status as well as income for their communities. Following World War II and the loyal service of more than one million segregated African-American soldiers, the game itself finally became a testing ground for integrating American life. Jackie Robinson’s “breaking of the color barrier” in 1947 eventually led to desegregation of the sport at every level. Given new opportunity, many talented black players took the majors by storm, dominating the most important awards and making their mark in the record books. By 1959, every major league team’s roster was integrated, but