A Pastime of Their Own: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Play ball! The recorded history of Black American baseball goes back to the 1850s, when the competition between two teams in New York was recorded in an African American newspaper. Trace the explosion of the game after the Civil War, from informal Juneteenth celebrations to professional teams.

The story of Black baseball mirrors the story of America. While segregation is a dominant theme through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, baseball originally was an integrated sport during Reconstruction. Learn about the infamous “gentleman’s agreement” that kept Black ball players out of professional leagues.

As segregation took hold in the professional leagues, explore the world Black baseball players had to navigate in the late 19th century. Meet some of the best players, the burgeoning teams such as the Cuban Giants, and witness the early efforts of Bud Fowler and others to establish a professional Black sport.

The history of Black baseball owes much to Andrew “Rube” Foster, a Hall of Fame pitcher, manager, and owner who was the sport’s first true superstar. See his athletic on the field, including his fondness for “small ball,” and then turn to his Chicago business ventures. This pioneering figure set the stage for new developments in the sport.

Continue your study of Rube Foster as he creates the first Black baseball league. As you will discover, team owners faced a number of financial and logistical challenges, so in 1920 a group of seven sat down at a Kansas City YMCA and organized the Negro National League. Despite ballpark challenges, the league’s first year was a financial success.

The Negro National League may have been a success, but longstanding rivalries meant it would not be the only league in the sport for long. In this lecture, meet Ed Bolden, whose vision of Black baseball rivaled Rube Foster’s—and led to the creation of the Eastern Colored League in Philadelphia.

In 1924, the two leagues held the first Black World Series between the Kansas City Monarchs and the Hilldale Daisies. From this pinnacle moment, both leagues experienced a gradual decline in the 1920s. Delve into the highs and lows of Black baseball leading up to the Great Depression.

The Great Depression nearly destroyed Black baseball, but in this lecture you will discover a story of triumph over tragedy. Meet Pittsburgh rivals Cumberland Posey and Gus Greenlee who built a league that could endures. Then shift your attention to a pair of all-star players: Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige.

From 1933 to 1953, the East-West Classic was the crown jewel of Black baseball, drawing more than 50,000 fans at its peak. Here, survey some of the highlights of this all-star game and meet some of the major players of the era—including fan favorite Oscar Charleston, manager and first baseman for the Crawfords.

Return to the Great Depression to get a more complete picture of what was happening with Black baseball. Examine the lives of Gus Greenlee, Effa Manley, Satchel Paige, and others who influenced the sport and helped Black baseball endure the country’s lowest economic era.

The Negro American League was a success, particularly in the Midwest and then in the South. However, rivals in Philadelphia and New York saw an opportunity to build a new organization in the mid-1930s, which added teams and increased opportunity for Black baseball—even as the white Major League Baseball organization prepared to integrate.

Integration was inevitable, and America’s entry into World War II helped highlight the color line in America’s pastime. In this final lecture, see how Jackie Robinson and then Larry Doby changed the sport by joining the Major League. The history of segregated Black baseball had ended.