African Americans In Baseball History

Baseball is often considered America’s Pastime; a sport that has its roots in the foundation of the country and has been enjoyed by generation after generation. Heroes of the game have become types of folk heroes within the borders of the United States of America, and citizens from all backgrounds have come to venues from coast to coast in order to enjoy the game. The sports’ professional participants, as expected, have directly reflected racial standards of the country at any given time; the sport was dominated by whites until the color barrier was broken, ushering in new participants of different descents. The involvement of African Americans in Major League Baseball is extremely vital for the sport, and is a topic that has been somewhat addressed by the league’s hierarchy. Despite those efforts to increase African American participation, however, the black people of America have recently seen their representation in

Not a single non-white citizen suited up in Yankees pinstripes, Boston red stockings, or any of the other uniforms representing one of the clubs in baseball’s most prestigious association. To the uninformed or, perhaps, simply logical thinker, it may seem that African Americans did not start playing the sport until much after its inception during the Reconstruction era. Black baseball players, however, have been around ever since the end of the Civil War. The first game of baseball between two all-black teams was between the Brooklyn Uniques and the Philadelphia Excelsiors. In an offensive showcase and a poor display of pitching and defense, the visiting Excelsiors won by a score of 37-24 (PBS, “African-American Baseball”). All-black teams would travel near and far to face off against each other or white teams in exhibition matchups. In 1888, the first black professional baseball team, the Cuban Giants, made history as they beat the all-White New Yorks in a nine game series, 5-4