Civil Rights in Baseball

Civil Rights in Baseball

 

Along with many other sports, Baseball had a huge influence in Civil Rights.  Since black people were not allowed to play in the regular leagues they eventually made their own.  In 1920 an organized league structure came into play.  It was formed under Andrew "Rube" Foster, a former player and manager of Chicago American Giants.  Eventually a meeting held at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City with Foster and a couple of other owners joined and created the Negro Leagues.  The Leagues actually had high professional skill and became the centerpiece of economic development in many black developments.

 

 

 

Jackie Robinson

 

In 1945, Major League's Brooklyn Dodgers recruited Jackie Robinson from the Kansas City Monarchs.  Robinson was the first African American player in Major League Baseball.  Although this was a huge deal and breakthrough in Baseball and civil rights it was also the decline in the Negro Leagues.

Jackie Robinson was an unbelievable athlete.  He went to University of California, and lettered in four sports.  While in the Major League Robinson played in six World Series, and contributed to the Brooklyn Dodgers 1955 World Championship.  He was also elected to six consecutive AllStar games, and was a recipient to the inaugural Rookie of the Year award. Robinson was also the first black man to win a National League MVP award.  Jackie Robinson was elected into the pro baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.  His jersey number 42 was "universally" retired in the major league.