Since the beginning of slavery in the United States in 1619, Black people have been treated as inferior, second-class citizens. Even after the Civil War, when freed slaves were supposed to gain the rights guaranteed to them under the constitution there was still an incredible amount of racist sentiment and segregation of Blacks and Whites. Whether it was schools, restaurants, drinking fountains, seating on buses, or any of the other horrible laws that encouraged segregation. This was no different when it came to the sport of baseball. The entire game was segregated ever since the creation of the MLB. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, there were two different professional baseball leagues for Whites and Blacks. Black baseball players in the Negro League faced many struggles that connected with racism in general throughout the 20th century. Many people did not take the league seriously despite the raw talent it exhibited. When compared to the MLB, profits for the Negro League teams were much lower due to lower demand for tickets because baseball fans would rather see White players. Another struggle faced by these players was travel. There would oftentimes be long bus rides after a game to get to the next city a game would be played in. These Negro Leauge teams would pile onto a small bus with all their equipment and clothes and drive many hours. When they would want to stop at a restaurant for food or a hotel to stay the night they oftentimes ran into problems finding businesses that would allow them. They would not be allowed inside these businesses due to blatantly racist segregation laws. This would lead to players going hungry and having to sleep on the small, cramped buses. These conditions are not ideal for professional athletes and it was all due to rooted racism throughout the United States.
The struggles for Black baseball players did not stop when they reached the MLB either. These players were the targets of racial slurs and violence from baseball fans, players of the opposing teams, and in some cases, even their own teammates. When playing, pitchers would oftentimes hit the batter on purpose, White players would purposely step on the feet of their Black opponents with their cleats just to cause pain. In some extreme cases, Black players in the MLB would receive anonymous death threats. Oftentimes, especially in today's society, sports are seen as an outlet where athletes can compete and forget about the struggles they are facing in the real world. However, throughout the 20th century, the racism seen throughout the United States infiltrated the world of baseball making it extremely difficult for Black players to focus solely on the game.
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While Black people had been playing the game of baseball for close to 100 years, they were never involved in a professional organization. In 1869, when the MLB was established, Black players were prohibited from joining any teams due to rooted racism throughout the United States. When 1920 came around, leaders in the game for Blacks founded the Negro League. Similar to the MLB, the Negro League was an organization of professional baseball teams, however, rather than only white players, this league featured talented the best Black players in the nation. The setup of this league was very similar to that of the MLB. Two separate divisions, the Negro National League and the Eastern Colored League would send their top team to play in the World’s Colored Championship (the Negro League’s version of the World Series). In several major cities such as Kansas City, Baltimore, Detroit, and several others, there would be both Negro League teams and Major League teams. While the facilities, travel amenities, and overall quality of the Major League surpassed those of the Negro Leagues, the overall talent in the Negro Leagues was arguably greater when compared to the MLB. Players like Jackie Robinson proved this when he was inserted into the MLB and proceeded to become one of the best in the game, eventually becoming rookie of the year and a Hall of Famer. Satchel Paige, a prominent pitcher in both the Negro League and Major League was said to be the “best pitcher I’ve ever faced” by Joe DiMaggio, one of the all-time greatest hitters in the history of baseball. |
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