Baseball In The 1940's

What was major league baseball like in the 1940’s? Integration was a controversial issue in the 1940’s. Many of the major league teams were interested to know more about integration which impacted many factors. The impact of black players on the field was significant. They were brought over from the Negro leagues an aggressive style of play. Black players soon established themselves as major league stars. The impact that black baseball players had in the 1940’s was powerful because it sparked the end of racial integration in major league baseball. A major obstacle was removed in 1944 with the death of Commissioner Landis. Although during his time Landis made several statements there was no way to solve integration in baseball, he also
prevented any attempts to sign black players. For example, Bill Veeck, a former owner, was denied from purchasing the Philadelphia Phillies in 1943. Commissioner Landis realized that Veeck had planned to build his team around Negro League All-stars. The next commissioner to come along was a man by the name of Happy Chandler, who believed that bringing integration to the sport was a good idea.
In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers manager Branch Rickey called upon an African American named Jackie Robinson to help get the Dodgers to the World Series.
In this era, it was time for blacks to make a statement on the baseball field. Blacks helped American win World War II. The Yankees were winning year after year after year and the largest source of un-scouted baseball talent were in the Negro Leagues, When Rickey brought Robinson into his office in 1945, he had to see whether Robinson could stand up to the taunts, pressure and death threats that would come. What it seemed that veteran Negro players respected Jackie both as a ball player and as an individual, admiring the courage he showed in difficult racial situations. Jackie Robinson was one of the most intensely competitive human beings imaginable, and he proved it over his 10 year career. In the 1950s and '60s players such as outfielders Willie Mays and Hank Aaron (who set the all-time career home-run record) and pitcher Bob Gibson posted statistics that ranked them among the best ever to play the
game. In the 1950s and '60s players such as outfielders Willie Mays and Hank Aaron (who set the all-time career home-run record) and pitcher Bob Gibson posted statistics that ranked them among the best ever to play the game.
Later Reggie Jackson, Ozzie Smith, and Barry Bonds were definitive players of their respective eras. In 1962 Robinson became the first black player inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame. In the 1970s, membership in the Hall was opened to the stars of the Negro leagues. By that time acceptance of black players was common. In 1961 Gene Baker became the first African American to manage a minor league team, and in the mid-1960s there were only two African American coaches in the major leagues. 1975 the Cleveland Indians made Frank Robinson the first black field manager in major league history. However, opportunities for minorities in managerial positions were rare, and their representation in leadership positions remains an issue. By the early 1980s, the Red Sox were had a widely populated team of African American talent not only in the majors, but even in the minor leagues. In 1983, the year the Red Sox had its first losing season since 1967, only one player on the major league roster was black, Jim Rice, at the time was a top notch hitter in the game. Racism of the Red Sox had become a public scandal in New England. Most journalists laid the blame on owner Sullivan, who was a
Southerner. Although we cannot say that integration is still controversial in major league baseball, we can incorporate other problems that our baseball generation is faced with. Jackie Robinson deserves credit for changing how we view African American baseball players. He changed the game forever by almost forcing the MLB to allow minorities into the game of baseball. He went through a lot of things day of day to overcome the challenge and play hard. Robinson changed the game forever when he became the MVP proving not only can a minority play at the same level but can be the best at the same level. Unfortunately, Robinson also caused an end to the Leagues which were a very competitive league and fun to watch. Robinson gave thousands of people across America that there was hope for no more segregation. He gave many minority children dreams to play in the Majors.