Реферат: Negro Leagues

Out of all the teams in baseball, one team seemed to attract more attention than any other, with the public and civil rights. The New York Giants, were one of the culprits in many actions taken against Negroes and playing integrated baseball. “Get that nigger off the field!” That statement by Cap Anson set the Color Barrier that would last for 60 years. Anson was one of the most popular baseball players of the 1800s, and he was also a pretty big racist. His well-known statement was said in 1887 when he found that the International League team he was facing in an exhibition had George Stovey and Fleet Walker, two black men playing. Stovey and Walker were kicked from play, and that same day the owners of the International League decided not to hire any more black players. This “Gentleman’s Agreement” spread all over white organized baseball. While African- Americans could not play in either the major or minor leagues, they still played baseball. The relationship between the New York Giants and the Negro Leagues has a very unique history. It involves the Giants’ greatest manager, riot?s, no-hitters and Hall of Famers.

One of the worst incidents between the Giants and Negro Leaguers happened in 1912. The headlines read, “Giants Play Negro Team, Ends in Riot.” The Giants sent several of their players to New Jersey to face a team called the Smart Sets. When the Giants got arrived they found out that the Smart Sets were not a white team. Seeing as there was a crowd of 8,000, they felt it would be right to play the game. One thing to see is that this was just a small squad of players and not the full team. Because of that, they were being managed by Wilbert Robinson, and not John McGraw, who had more control of the problem. The first problem came when the Giants’ only pitcher refused to take the mound. According to the ?New York Times?, “The only pitcher taken along was Louis Drucke, who comes from Texas. Drucke completely refused to play against the black team. All sorts of arguments were brought up, and Drucke finally agreed to pitch if he was announced as ‘Pitcher O’Brien’ instead of Drucke.” After that, things went well until the 7th inning. Harry McCormick of the Giants disagreed with a call by the umpire, and it came to chaos. A fellow Giants player by the name of Fletcher decided to jump in, but McCormick refused to leave the field after he was tossed from the game. The Chief of Police had to come and remove him. With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, the umpire handed Drucke a new ball. Drucke took some dirt and darkened the ball, so the other team could not see the ball very well. Players of the Smart Set did not like that, and Drucke was forced to pitch with a new ball. The game went on to the top of the tenth. McClellan of the Smart Sets took the mound to pitch, and instead of using the white ball, he used an older, darkened ball. Giants? players Fletcher and Snodgrass protested to the umpire, saying that if the Smart Sets were able to bat against a pitcher with a clean ball, the Giants should have the same right. The umpire disagreed and the Giants left the field. The crowd ran out into a mob and attacked the Giants bus with sticks and stones. The Chief of Police broke it up and was able to get the Giants out of town, and they were happy to be gone. This incident occurred roughly a week after Ty Cobb went up into the stand to beat up a fan who had no hands. Cobb beat up the man and was suspended by the American League. The Detroit Tigers went on a strike in support of Cobb and the American League let the suspension go. The fan’s called Ty Cobb a “half-nigger”.

One of the biggest factors in integrating baseball was World War II. More than 50 Negro players served their country in war. The war also left a lot of open spots in the major league teams. The teams were recruiting Negro players to fill the empty positions. This really helped lead the way for integrated baseball. The effects of the war really helped as well. It brought fourth a United Nation feeling in the public, and people were a little more apt to tolerate blacks in baseball. Negro baseball players were also a big part of leading civil rights movements. Although they did not get the credit that more dominating leaders did, like Martin Luther King Jr., they helped more than people thought. Their efforts to help integrate baseball, also helped integrate the whole southern part of the United States. Owners of baseball teams started to see past the color of the skin. They were not worried about what color the players were, but rather looking for skill. Owners and coaches started to see how good the Negro League players really were. Teams started to recruit more and more Negro players. This in turn started an integrated fan base at ballgames. Ballparks were now filled with blacks as well as whites. It was no longer just whites going to white baseball games, and blacks going to black baseball games; Things were starting to change. The impacts of black baseball players in the majors were felt right away. After Robinson received the Rookie of the Year Award, black players won eight of the next eleven awards. Also, nine of the eleven men voted the national League’s Most Valuable Player between 1949 and 1959 were players who were Negro League stars. Negro League stars like Sam Jethroe, Roy Campanella, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Larry Doby, Monte Irvin, Ernie Banks, Junior Gilliam, Joe Black, Don Newcombe and others brought a thrill to the Baseball never before seen. Since the integration of the American and National Leagues, the skill level of the game has increased to an unbelievable level. Black pitchers Bob Gibson and Luis Tiant, Jr. had the lowest earned run averages in both leagues. In 1974, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth?s record of lifetime home runs. Aaron went on to hit 755 homeruns.

It is pretty ironic that the start of Jackie Robinson into the Major Leagues and the breaking of the color barrier was also the beginning of the death of the Negro Leagues. By 1961, the Negro Leagues were dead. The great players of the Negro Leagues signed with the major leagues. They had finally received what they had been reaching for many years. The fans had joined them as well. Games were not only integrated on the field, but in the stands too. The fans deserve a great amount of credit them selves. If it was not for them, the Negro Leagues could have never gotten the appreciation they had gotten, and would not have people there to back them up. The fans helped decipher some of the finest black athletes on the field. Some of the greatest baseball players in the Hall of Fame are black baseball players. The Negro League?s even have a Hall of Fame in Kansas City dedicated to the great players of the Negro Leagues and remembering their past.

The Negro Leagues had some of the greatest baseball players of all-time and had a great love for the game that was all its own. Today many African- Americans thank Jackie Robinson for doing what he did to show African-Americans are just as good as anyone else. He really helped lead the way for Negroes, and helped lead the way for future baseball stars. Buck O?Neil once said a very interesting quote. He stated, ?Don?t feel sorry for the black baseball player: Feel sorry for the ones who didn?t get to see them play?. I believe this is very true. It shows how strong the Black baseball players really are, and how they did not let the color barrier get in the way of Negro players doing something they loved to do. Play baseball, just as any other American loves to do.