Major League Baseball Recognizes the Negro Leagues’ Achievements
In May 2024, Major League Baseball added the statistics of African American baseball players who played in the Negro Leagues to its official database. Read on to learn why the Negro Leagues were founded and why it is important to recognize the players’ accomplishments.
The National Negro League Is Founded
During the American Civil War, baseball became the soldier’s favorite sport. It was popular throughout the United States and included several African American players. In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first professional baseball team. For the first time, players were paid to play baseball.
Teams organized to form Major League Baseball’s National League and American League. The first World Series between the two leagues was played in 1903. African Americans, however, were excluded from playing for Major League Baseball. In the late 1800s, Jim Crow laws were passed throughout the United States. These local and state laws legalized racial segregation. The laws denied African Americans the right to vote, hold jobs, and acquire an education. Racism spread through baseball as well, as African Americans were not allowed to play baseball professionally.
Rube Foster, a famous African American pitcher and manager, wanted to create a league for African Americans to earn money as baseball players. Foster formed the Chicago American Giants club in 1911. He negotiated a deal to play at the Chicago White Sox stadium. Foster worked with other African American team owners to establish the Negro National League in 1920.
The Leagues’ Success
The Negro National League was wildly successful and helped many players showcase their talent and abilities. Some famous African American players including catcher Josh Gibson, pitcher Satchel Paige, and center fielder Turkey Stearnes started their baseball careers in the Negro National League. Foster’s American Giants club drew nearly 200,000 spectators during the 1921 season.
In 1933, the Negro American League was formed to join the Negro National League. Negro Leagues baseball remained popular through the early 1940s. An estimated 3 million fans attended Negro Leagues games in the 1942 season.
Baseball Segregation Ends
In 1944, Major League Baseball Commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis died. He was primarily responsible for keeping African Americans out of Major League Baseball. Slowly, baseball stars from the Negro Leagues began earning spots on the rosters of Major League Baseball teams. The first African American to play on a Major League team was Jackie Robinson in 1947. Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Then others, including Satchel Paige, joined other teams. The records set by the Negro Leagues’ players, however, were never included in Major League Baseball’s official records. Only white ball players were cited as record-holders.
Negro Leagues Records
In May 2024, the accomplishments of 2,300 Negro Leagues players were finally recognized by Major League Baseball. Their statistics were added to the league’s official database. Baseball historians reviewed thousands of box scores and newspaper clippings to gather the data.
Now, Josh Gibson, who played in the Negro Leagues from 1930 to 1946, leads Major League Baseball in multiple batting categories. For instance, Ty Cobb of the Detroit Tigers once held the record for the highest career batting average (.367) for over 100 years. After including Negro League statistics, Josh Gibson’s batting career average of .372 is the new record. Gibson is also now the career leader in slugging percentage–which takes the record away from Babe Ruth who held that record since his retirement in 1935.
Many baseball fans welcomed the news of the addition of the Negro Leagues statistics. For most, it reflects the belief that baseball is America’s game and should reflect the contributions of all Americans.