The Negro Leagues and the Road to Robinson
"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." - Jackie Robinson
"Some day I'm going to have to stand before God, and if he asks me why I didn't let that Robinson fellow play ball, I don't think 'because of the color of his skin' would be a good enough answer." -Branch Rickey
In
the 1890’s, both the Minor Leagues and the Major Leagues were integrated. This
was occurring even after the National Association of Base Ball Players had
banned African American athletes. In the 1870’s, many African Americans were
active in the Minor Leagues. Many of these African American athletes experienced
racism from the towns that they played and an unofficial ban of African
American athletes despite them being put on white teams. Although these
terrible things happened, many great careers were created because African
Americans were given the opportunity to play baseball alongside whites.
Many
people consider Jackie Robinson to be the first African American player to play
in the Major Leagues, but that is not true. The first African American player
in the Major Leagues was Moses “Fleetwood” Walker. Walker was considered to be
one of the best catchers in all of professional baseball when he was an active
player. Walker started his career with a professional team out of Toledo, Ohio.
The Toledo team started as a Minor League team in the Northwestern League. In
1884, the Toledo franchise joined the Major Leagues and Walker became the first
African American to play at that level.
(Moses "Fleetwood" Walker)
Also
in 1884, the baseball club in Stillwater, Minnesota signed John Fowler. Fowler
was a traveling journeyman professional player that got his break with the
Stillwater club. Fowler was very useful because he could play every position on
the field. This was very eye-catching to the white owners around the country.
Fowler’s career continued throughout the 19th century, never
reaching the success of Walker, but playing professional baseball nonetheless.
(John Fowler)
In
1886, both Foster and Walker did cross paths in the white minor leagues along
with other black stars. Those black stars were Frank Grant and George Stovey. Many
other African American athletes were playing with barnstorming teams or
independent teams with white baseball players. The North and Midwest, brought
tolerance and sometimes acceptance to their African American athletes. This was
not the same for the prejudiced South. In 1890, the integration of professional
baseball abruptly ended.
In
this year, there were no African American players in the International League.
The International League was the best organized league in all of the Minors. An
unwritten agreement among white owners in organized professional baseball
decided to ban African Americans from participation in the Minor Leagues and
Major Leagues for the next fifty years. African Americans were able to
participate in lesser leagues for a few years, but that soon changed and the
ban stretched among all of organized professional baseball. Now the color
barrier banning African American athletes from playing professional baseball
was put in place.
Once
the color barrier was placed into organized professional baseball, African
American baseball players were lost. Luckily over 200 all black independent
professional baseball teams were created in order to suffice the demand of
African Americans wanting to play professional baseball. During this time,
teams like the Cuban Giants, Cuban X Giants, and the Harrisburg Giants were
created. Each of these teams played in the independent leagues along with
loosely based organized professional leagues. In the South, teams like the
Birmingham Black Barons and the Nashville Standard Giants established great
reputations nationally at this time as well. It was not until the 1900’s that black leagues
received the respect that it deserved. It was during this time that all black
leagues started to grow throughout the South and Midwest.
Prior
to the end of World War I, black professional baseball was the biggest
entertainment attraction for African Americans. Andrew “Rube” Foster, the owner
of the Chicago American Giants decided that the time had come for a Negro
League. In 1920, under the leadership of Foster, the Negro National League was
created. The Negro National League had eight teams: Chicago Giants, Chicago
American Giants, Dayton Marcos, Cuban Stars, Indianapolis ABC’s, Detroit Stars,
St. Louis Giants, and the Kansas City Monarchs.
(Andrew "Rube" Foster the creator of the Negro Leagues)
During
the same year, another league was created. The Negro Southern League was
created under Thomas T. Wilson. The teams that were involved in the Negro
Southern League were: Atlanta, Nashville, Birmingham, Memphis, Montgomery, and
New Orleans. Three years later, the Eastern Colored League was formed in 1923.
The clubs in this league were the Hillsdale Club, Cuban Stars (East), Brooklyn
Royal Giants, Bacharach Giants, Lincoln Giants, and the Baltimore Black Sox.
The
Negro National League flourished in the 1920’s but started to hurt during the
Great Depression. The Negro National League had to dissolve in 1931 due to
financial issues. The second Negro National League was created 1933 by
Pittsburgh bar owner Gus Greenlee. This league flourished from 1933 to 1949.
The
Negro Southern League continued throughout the Great Depression. The Negro
Southern League touted themselves as the only major Negro League circuit in the
year of 1931. In 1937, the Negro American League was created. This league
brought in the best teams from the South and Midwest. This league rivaled the
Negro National League until 1949.
Despite
the chaotic times of the Great Depression in the United States, the three Negro
Leagues were very successful. The three leagues became the largest and most
successful black enterprises in the United States. The determination of the three Negro Leagues
to be a success in the face of prejudice and racial segregation became the
testament for black America.
During
this time the Negro Leagues flourished and one team was the greatest of them
all, and that was the Pittsburgh Crawfords. The Crawfords lineup featured five
future Hall of Famers. Those Hall of Famers are: Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige,
Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, and Judy Johnson. The Crawfords were the
elite team during the mid-1930’s, but the Homestead Grays took away that elite
title from the Crawfords by the end of the decade. The Homestead Grays won nine
consecutive Negro National League titles from the late 1930’s to the mid
1940’s. The Grays during this time had Bell and Gibson, along with another
fellow future Hall of Famer Buck Leonard.
(The Pittsburgh Crawfords dominated the 1930's, while the Homestead Grays dominated the 1940's)
The
most popular event that the Negro Leagues put on was the East-West All Star
Game. The first one took place in 1933, as a promotional tool by Gus Greenlee
to make more money for the league. This All Star Game was played annually at
Comiskey Park in Chicago from 1933 until the 1940’s.
(1936 East-West All Star Game Picture at historic Comiskey Park, former home of the Chicago White Sox)
As
World War II ended, the demands for social justice rose throughout all of the
United States of America. During this time, many felt that the color barrier
could be broken. African Americans felt that they deserved an equal share in
American life and that they had proven themselves on the battlefield, and on
the baseball diamond. Another key to breaking the color barrier at this time,
was that there were countless exhibition games between Major League teams and
Negro League teams, and the Negro League teams proved that they could go swing
for swing with the Major Leaguers.
One
man had a vision to break the color barrier, and his name was Branch Rickey.
Rickey made a name for himself in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Rickey
was the general manager of the Cardinals where he oversaw team operations
during the years of 1919 to 1942. Rickey created the “farm system,” which
created a Minor League system for Major League teams. In 1942, Rickey joined
the Brooklyn Dodgers organization and was the new general manager of the team. Rickey
continued his innovation in professional baseball with making Vero Beach, Florida
the official spring training home of the Dodgers. He also encouraged the use of
the pitching machine, batting cage, and batting helmets. He also was the first
man in baseball to explain the usefulness of stats in the game of baseball. He
advocated on base percentage as the most important statistic in determining how
successful a hitter was, instead of batting average.
(Rickey with the St. Louis Cardinals)
In
1944, Branch Rickey decided to change the game of baseball forever, and that
was to sign a Negro League player to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rickey
could not do this in years prior, because of how the commissioner of Major
League Baseball was against it. Kenesaw Mountain Landis was the commissioner,
and was totally against integration in baseball. But in 1944, Landis died.
Which gave Rickey the opportunity to search for the right man to break baseball’s
color barrier.
To
start off this search, Rickey had to first consult George V. MacLaughlin.
MacLaughlin was Rickey’s banker and held a mortgage for the Dodgers. When
Rickey told MacLaughlin about his goal of recruiting African American players
to play for the Dodgers, MacLaughlin was a little surprised. MacLaughlin went
along with the idea, but told Rickey that he must find a man that was a cut
above the rest and would stay calm under a lot of social, physical, and
emotional stress.
Rickey then went to the Dodgers Board of
Directors and pitched his idea. The board unanimously supported the idea and
swore each other to secrecy about Rickey’s plan. According to Glasser of the
Huffington Post, “That’s how dangerous the idea of equal opportunity was in
1943!” This is not an understatement, this was a radical plan not only for
organized baseball, but for the United States of American in the 1940’s.
In 1945, Rickey started the search to find the
man that could survive this great test. Rickey also created his own fake Negro
League, the United States League (Glasser, I). This was a bold move by Branch
Rickey because he sold it as a legitimate league. Rickey even hired scouts who
believed that they were actually scouting for players to play in the league.
Once the owners
figured out what Rickey was up to, they were very upset. Many believed that it
would not only be dangerous for baseball, but for all the cities that the
prospective African American ballplayer would go to. Rickey didn’t care, he
came out and said, “my selfish objective is the win baseball games.” Rickey
believed that if he made integrating baseball the goal of this great test, then
it would go nowhere. Although Rickey may have just said that to not spark up
more controversy. Everything he did was secretive and it is not known what
Rickey’s real motives were for breaking the color barrier. Regardless of why he
made the decision to integrate baseball, his actions had a huge moral impact on
not only baseball, but for the United States of America.
By the middle of
1945, Rickey narrowed his search down to Jackie Robinson. Rickey liked how
Robinson played on the field, and how he abstained from drinking and that he
was educated. According to William Rubenstein, “Rickey apparently decided that Robinson
possessed the right combination of talent, intelligence, and experience with
whites.” With all of this in mind, Rickey found his man who he believed could
integrate baseball.
The only things that concerned Rickey was Robinson’s temperament. Rickey
also really liked Jackie’s temperament. Robinson’s refusal to quit to
discrimination and his strength of character are what Rickey loved. Robinson’s
aggressiveness is what worried Rickey. When Jackie got aggressive, it fueled
his determination and athleticism, but it also put him in a position to lose
his cool. Rickey made it clear to Robinson that this was to be a success only
if Jackie stayed under control and kept his cool. This is obviously easier said
than done, but Jackie promised that he would do just that.
During the day that Rickey planned to sign Robinson, Rickey talked to
Jackie as if he was a protestor. According to Robinson, “His acting was so
convincing that I found myself chain-gripping my fingers behind my back.”
Robinson then asks, “Mr. Rickey, do you want a ballplayer who’s afraid to fight
back?” Rickey replies, “I want a player with guts enough not to fight back.”
When Rickey had the Dodgers President to act as if he was a man who just
punched Robinson on the cheek, Robinson replied, “I get it. What you want me to
say is that I’ve got another cheek.”
(Jackie and Branch, the two men that changed the game of baseball forever.)
After this initial
trial day for Robinson, Rickey gave Robinson a book. The name of that book was
called, Life of Christ. Rickey wanted
Robinson to read this book so he would have more of an understanding on how to
retreat from rage and violence. This was also years before Martin Luther King
Jr. and his peaceful confrontations and before the Montgomery bus boycott.
Robinson was truly leading the way for the Civil Rights movement, but in a
different arena.
Rickey then gave
Robinson a professional contract in the Brooklyn Dodger organization. The same
man that was thrown off of a bus in Fort Hood Texas for not sitting in the
back, was about to go show that he could stay cool headed. Robinson then said,
“Mr. Rickey, I think I can play ball ... in Brooklyn. ... If you want to take
this gamble, I will promise you there will be no incident.” Robinson then
signed the contract. Robinson was soon off to Montreal to play for Brooklyn’s
Minor League affiliate.
On April 15th,
1947 Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier. As Rickey expected,
Robinson was not welcomed warmly. In Robinson’s first 37 games with Brooklyn,
Robinson was hit by a pitch six times. In prior seasons, no one was hit more
than six times within a 154 game season. Robinson was already hit a season’s
worth of times. Robinson and the Dodgers received death threats all year. Some
letters even said that they would shoot Robinson in the head directly from the
stands. But this did not discourage the team, the Dodgers went on and played.
(Jackie and the "Boys of Summer" The Brooklyn Dodgers.)
In one game,
something remarkable happened. Robinson’s teammate Pee Wee Reese walked over to
Jackie and put his arm around him to talk. This is remarkable because Pee Wee
Reese was from Louisville, Kentucky. This was for sure going to stir up the
South, but in context this was a fantastic gesture to show that the Dodgers
organization supported Jackie. Robinson’s teammates admired Robinson and
shortly thereafter, Robinson became one of the most popular players in all of
Major League Baseball.
In the end,
Rickey’s great experiment was a success and changed not only baseball but
America. This experiment was a huge success and in my mind helped pave the way
for the Civil Rights movement. In fact, after his playing career, Robinson
joined the Civil Rights movement. Robinson’s determination helped pave the way
to stop all of the prejudices that caused the color barrier. in baseball in the first place. Without the guts
of both Rickey and Robinson, the Civil Rights movement may not have been as
successful as it was.
(Two American icons: Martin Luther King Jr. and Jackie Robinson.
After his playing career, Jackie was determined to bring civil rights from the ball field to the rest of the country.)
Works Cited
Glasser, I. (2013,
April 16). Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson: Precursors to the Civil Rights
Movement. Retrieved May 11, 2017, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ira-glasser/jackie-robinson-civil-rights_b_3093810.html
Huffington Post
Rubinstein, W. D.
(2003). JACKIE ROBINSON AND THE INTEGRATION OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. History
Today, 53(9), 20.
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