Major League Baseball's Move from
Model Minority to Social Activist Players


Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture (1900-present), Spring 2021, Volume 20, Issue 1
https://americanpopularculture.com/journal/articles/spring_2021/dicesare.htm

 

Erin DiCesare
Johnson C. Smith University


The 2020 Major League Baseball season kicked off during a global pandemic as well as national social unrest, and fans awaited the season to regain a sense of normalcy. However, Major League Baseball knew players were not going to remain silent on the topic of racial injustice as many were already preparing some form of statement or protest. Players joined forces in June 2020 to release a video via Twitter calling others to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Giancarlo Stanton tweeted the video featuring other prominent Black players (Aaron Judge, Andrew McCutchen, and Mookie Betts) with a clear message: "One Team. One dream. Be the Change" (qtd. in Shapiro). To expect players to sit idly by while the nation was in turmoil would be a difficult expectation to maintain, especially when the nation turns to baseball after tragedy strikes – such as after 9/11 and the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. The national pastime was once again expected to heal a nation, but many players felt compelled to make a statement during this historical moment regardless of the controversy their words might ignite.

The idea of the quiet or "model minority" player has plagued baseball for decades. The 2020 season, however, proved to be a breakout one in which players became vocal about their positions. The response was not entirely new considering what happened in the 1960s when many players spoke out against injustices they saw and endured. In the past, when a player or players spoke out about social injustices, MLB and team owners wanted them silenced quickly. The 2020 season represented a shift in this pattern. MLB finally removed the model minority expectation and allowed players to comment, take a stand, and show that the issues off the field impact them on the field. While fan reactions were not always welcoming or accepting, baseball finally decided it was time to allow players to be heard.

Baseball's segregated history and the fight for integration has greatly influenced expectations for both players and fans. Racial lines created the guiding principles of the sport, which was used as an imperialistic tool. The long fight for the Negro League to gain "Major League" status also figures into these historical considerations. While many complex issues have influenced the changes in baseball, the focus of this article is how players' voices have been controlled and how some players helped break the silence barrier, creating a space for today's players to make key statements about off field issues that impact on them on the field.

The model minority expectation begins with Jackie Robinson and the integration of Major League Baseball. Michael Lomax notes in his article "Changing the Way They Do business: Jackie Robinson, Integration, and the Origins of Organizational Baseball" that "what is often overlooked was the way that Robinson's presence on the Royals marked the start of the transformation of Organized Baseball's organizational culture" (185). Robinson's integration into the majors called for an expectation of what I noted as being a model minority, but Robinson and others refused to adhere to this expectation for the entire duration of their careers, especially in the 1960s.

Lomax notes that this organizational culture contains "a pattern of assumptions that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, consequently, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those challenges" (186). While Robinson was originally selected because he would not cause issues or make waves for the team or baseball as a whole, that situation soon changed as he became a political figure fighting for desegregation He and many others eventually challenged baseball culture to allow for current players to take a stand on the field and address social injustices that were occurring around them.


Baseball in Cuba

Cuba may seem an odd place to start, but the gains of Cuban players in baseball helped the integration of American Major League Baseball. Baseball has been used as an imperialistic tool to promote "good behavior" and provide a pseudo-award system (e.g., behave and you can keep playing). As Allen Guttman shows in Games and Empires: Modern Sports and Cultural Imperialism, Albert Goodwill Spalding, "one of baseball's greatest entrepreneurs," ensured that baseball was noted as a purely American sport. In an effort to break from any connection to the British colonizers, "Spalding, in 1905 named a six-man investigatory commission headed by his friend Abraham G. Mills. Their task was to determine who invented baseball" (Guttman 72). The result was a proclamation that baseball "was a game too lively for any but Americans to play" (72). Ironically, this statement created a narrative devoid of the colonizers, only to be used by colonizers. Because many wanted to keep politics out of the game, due to the use of the sport by colonizers, dictators, and those in positions of power (I will argue owners should be included in this grouping), the sport is inherently political.
           
Baseball in Cuba was rather unique in the onset as women were large supporters. As Gems notes, "as early as 1882 El Base-Ball, one of the early periodicals, stated that 'women are at least as attentive or more so than young men to the North American game, and they are always enthusiastic for victory of the club or the player that they support'" (83). This observation breaks with the idea that sports, specifically baseball, are male driven. It is interesting to note that a sport considered wholly American had more Cuban women interested in the details of the game. Baseball symbolized "modernity and removal from the staid colonial world of the Spanish, who favored the blood sports of bullfighting and cockfighting" (83). Guttman noted that "Wencelas Galvez y Gelmonto, 'a ballplayer turned writer,' predicted in 1897 that baseball would surpass bullfighting and cockfighting, centuries-old pastimes imported from Spain" (81). He was not wrong – even today baseball reigns supreme in the country.  
           
When America established its navel base in Guantanamo, imperialistic practices appeared. One example illustrating such influences occurred when "the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals lobbied for a ban on bullfights and cockfighting" (Gem 87). Starting English instruction early and teaching morality (imperialistic morality), schools were a focus for the Americans present in Cuba. While Cubans found their own ways to combat the imposed American ways, baseball was one tool to show national alliance. As Gem notes, "sport provided other lessons in race and nationalism" (88).

While the divide in baseball between the white Major League and the Negro League was clear in America, the Cuban league offered something to players who had to endure a racially divided nation. Guttman notes the importance of winter baseball in Cuba: "Many major-leaguers welcomed the chance to play for Cuban teams. The infamous 'reverse clause,' which denied major-league players the right to bargain with any club other than the one that owned them, kept salaries so low that Americans were eager to earn extra dollars in 'winter ball'" (82). This reverse clause caused many players, specifically Black players, to find work during the off season to supplement their low wages (from teaching to playing and recording music). Cuban players could play against American major leaguers in their off season, but there were other attractions to baseball in Cuba. Guttman explains that "the money and the climate were not the only attractions" (83). He continues, "Havana, in the days of dictator Fulgencio Batista, was renowned for its nightclubs, casinos, racetracks, and brothels. And the Cubans’ more relaxed attitudes about racial differences made it possible for major-leaguers, all of whom were white, to compete against Josh Gibson and other stars of the Negro National League" (83).

For many, Cuba initially provided a reprieve from the enduring racism they encountered daily. In Cuba, player classification was not based on on skin color, but rather where the players were from. The idea of white and Black was not part of the Cuban baseball organization, and while it was a nice break for American based players, it would not be long before Cuban players were introduced to the racial practices and divide that controlled Major League Baseball in America.

Racism slowly started to creep into the Cuban system. At first, baseball was a way for Cubans to promote support for their nation. Gerald R. Gems explains, "Cuban league teams drew as many as twelve thousand spectators for Sunday games, with victories over the Americans 'consolidating feelings of nationhood and general solidarity that went beyond race, class, or politics'" (88). The counterpart to Cuban baseball, the American system of Major League Baseball, was racially divided, and recruitment fell in line with skin color, "with the best white Cubans signed by the American Major League teams and black Cubans relegated to Negro League play. Baseball thus provided an opportunity for skilled players but, ironically, also reinforced the racial divide" (Gem 88).

In 1911, Ban Johnson, the American League President banned teams from playing in Cuba, "after several defeats questioned the Social Darwinism presumption of whites' superiority" (Gem 92). Teams responded by hiring white Cubans. But even white Cuban players had to endure troubling times in the white majors. Adolfo Luque had to prove his whiteness with an affidavit. Other Cuban players "faced racial taunts, stereotypes, and 'bean balls' thrown at their heads, but their success initiated a transition in the perceptions of race and whiteness," which led the way for Major League Baseball to be integrated (Gem 92).


Baseball's Integration

The road to integration was not without turmoil, and the key player leading the way was Jackie Robinson. In his article on Robinson's integration into Major League Baseball, Michael Lomax explains that Branch Rickey, the President of the Brooklyn Dodgers, knew that Robinson was an excellent ballplayer; there were many in the Negro Leagues often overlooked, but he "questioned whether [Robinson] had 'the guts'" (187). When Robinson adhered to the model minority, turning the other cheek while enduring volatile situations during their meeting, Rickey offered him a minor league contract with the Montreal Royals in 1945, which started the integration of Major League Baseball. Rickey also signed another Negro League player, Johnny Wright in January of 1946 showing that the Dodgers were going to lead the way to integration.
           
Pitcher Johnny Wright, being a lesser-known player, did not receive much attention during the desegregation of the Dodgers organization. Wright may not have been a daily player, but when he took the mound, he endured the same treatment as Robinson. An important part of the groundbreaking impact of desegregation. Wright's position should not be overlooked.

Due to Jacksonville segregation restriction, the Brooklyn Dodgers moved their exhibition game with the AAA Montreal Royals from the spring training base to Daytona Beach. This move allowed Robinson and Wright to play with their white teammates in the first racially integrated game in baseball history. Unfortunately, the decision was merely financial. Local officials saw the economic potential if they allowed a major league ball club to hold a spring training game in their city (Lomax 188).

With segregation laws still enforced, Rickey made a concerted effort to ensure that Robinson was given the best housing possible, but the housing issue proved to be an ongoing battle that the Dodgers and many other integrated ball clubs would endure throughout the 1960s. On the field, there was movement to desegregation, but off the field segregation practices remained strong.

Robinson and Wright were expected to fall in line and live within the social expectations of segregated Florida while at spring training. Only Daytona Beach had relaxed their segregation laws, which resulted in Robinson and Wright not being able to take the field at away games. Thus, as Lomax explains, Robinson and Wright were disrupting factors to the intra-organizational culture of the Montreal Royals. The external social factors that impacted Robinson and Wright – from cancelled games to being unable to room with the other players – impacted the whole team.

Players from opposing teams taunted Robinson, and fans refused to attend games if the Royals allowed their Black players to play. Players from opposing teams joined in the taunts as Robinson stepped up to the plate. These behaviors served as an indication of what was to be endured by Black players who integrated Major League Baseball. While the jeering from fans and opposing teams slowed, the off field racial divide remained strong into the 1960s. Players were expected to adhere to baseball's customs, and specifically for Black players, they were expected to play and not react.


Model Minority

Writing in 2017, Mwaniki notes, "if the 'model minority' complains about the white, patriarchal, heteronormative, and capitalistic system, she or he very quickly discovers the nature of his or her tenuous position in the racial order" (73). He continues, the "model minority is also an apolitical subject who goes along with the status quo" (73). Although applying this term to the position of Black migrant athletes in 2017, Mwaniki accurately describes the expectations of Black baseball players in the 1960s. As Florio and Shapiro point out, there was an "implicit list of dos and don'ts that baseball had designed for players of color. Do keep your mouth shut at all times. Don't express your opinion. And for god's sake, don't be seen alone with a white woman" (11).

As long as players did not speak out, kept their mouths shut, and fell in line, owners had no problem with their Black players. Even reporters reinforced this expectation, but social unrest and the racial divided caused players to speak out. Florio and Shapiro explain:

As reported in Bill Madden's book, 1954, Young once told Robinson, "That's the trouble with you, Jackie, and the difference between you and Campy [Robinson's black teammate, Roy Campanella]. I can go to Campy and all he ever wants to talk about is baseball. But with you, it always sooner or later gets back to social issues. I'm telling you as a friend that the newspapermen are saying Campy's the kind of guy they can like, but that your aggressiveness, your wearing your race on your sleeve, makes enemies. (29)

During that era, it was difficult not to wear your race on your sleeve, especially if there was a possibility of being traded to a club that was openly racist. If Black players did the unthinkable and asked for more money, they were quickly shown their place. Threats of being traded were always looming, which was scary for Black players who could be traded to teams where racism was a way of life.


1960s Baseball

As America's favorite pastime, baseball has not traditionally supported social statements and protests by players. Some fans still believe that players are not paid to make social statements or allow injustices that impact them in their daily lives to flow over to the ball field. The 1960s are a prime example of a time when players, specifically Black players, were expected to shut up, play the game, and go home, but times were changing quickly. Florio and Shapiro state, "by 1960, the world was changing, blacks were speaking out, mobilizing; they were demanding equality, forcing America to confront its bigotry, to wake up from the slumber it had been in" (3). But the ball field and club owners had a different idea. As long as the players speaking out did not affect their bottom line, they were not a problem.

Of course, the Dodgers are perceived as a great example of battling the Jim Crow laws at the time. The Dodgers' reaction to the requirements of segregated Florida was to rail against the system. The goal of Dodgertown was to provide a place where players gathered in an area devoid of Jim Crow laws, able to focus on being a team, working together, and the game. But Holman Stadium in Vero Beach – built in 1953 for spring training – had Jim Crow ever present. While the organization wanted the fans to be able to mingle together, police would show up to ensure that fans were in their appropriate locations (segregated and not intermingling).

Peter O'Malley – son of the team owner Walter O'Malley – was sick of Jim Crow and threatened to move the team. In 1962, having enough of his team and their fans being controlled by segregation, Peter "lost his patience with Jim Crow and painted over all of the signs at Holman, desegregating its entrances, restrooms, water fountains, and seating sections" (Florio and Shapiro 21). Walter became accustomed to doing what he wanted (and clearly his son followed his lead) to ensure the revenue of the team, even refusing a land agreement with New York, which resulted in the team to Los Angeles in 1957.

But the motivation behind Walter O'Malley's quest for equality is questionable at times. For example, thousands of Mexican-American families were displaced by his new stadium in Chavez Ravine. The bottom-line reigns supreme when it comes to owner decisions and injustice. Many of the decisions made by the Dodgers' organization of the time, while helping to fight segregation, were financially motivated, yet we do not see other teams taking a similar stand against the Jim Crow South. The Dodgers did build a safe haven for their players (Dodgertown), allowing them to room together and play together, ultimately challenging segregation laws.

By the 1960s, Jackie Robinson was no longer the player who would not make waves, but rather a player who was part of the Civil Rights protests fighting for equality, even joining Martin Luther King in Birmingham to support the cause (Florio and Shapiro 43). Specifically targeting the Redskins in their hiring practices that adhered to segregation, Robinson spoke out on the desegregation of football. He was turning political, and other players were noticing his support of King's efforts.

The field was not devoid of incidents either. One notable event occurred with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1965. Dick (Richie) Allen encountered a heated argument with Frank Thomas who mistook player jeers as coming from Allen and fired a racially charged comment in Allen's direction. Thomas, a known racist who would push players' buttons especially when he thought they would not provide a rebuttal, was met with a physical response. Allen had endured many racists incidents on his road to the Phillies, and Thomas's quips, along with being part of a known racist organization, provoked a fight.

Thomas's poor performance resulted in him being placed on waivers (not because he started the fight), and the Phillies told Allen not to say a word about the altercation. As Thomas was no longer part of the organization, he took control of the narrative, painting Allen as the aggressor. Allen could not respond due to the threat of a two thousand dollar fine from the Phillies organization. Allen was forced into silence and unable to defend himself or remove the notation that he was the aggressor (Florio and Shapiro 83).

The most notable among racist teams was the Philadelphia Phillies, the last National League team to integrate. Black players wanted nothing to do with the team. When Curt Flood was traded to them in 1969, he refused. Instead, he went to court to challenge the reserve clause – the clause that gave owners extensive power and the one part of their contract that players were never able to get around. In order to challenge the reserve clause and avoid being traded to an openly racist team, he had to seek permission from the Players Association's Executive Board. For clarity, they asked why Flood decided to challenge this now – was it about avoiding the trade, was it about showing "black power"? (Florio and Shapiro 176). Flood's response remains instructive:

I'd be lying if I told you that as a black man in baseball I hadn't gone through worse times than my white teammates. I'll also say that, yes, I think the change in black consciousness in recent years has made me more sensitive to injustice in every area of my life. But I want you know that what I'm doing here I'm doing as a ballplayer, a major league ballplayer, and I think it's absolutely terrible that we have stood by and watched this situation go on for so many years and never pulled together to do anything about it. (Florio and Shapiro 176)

While Flood was taking a stand against a clause that caused so much trouble for all ball players, his reassurance that this action was not about showing a sign of "black power" placed him into the role of a model minority, because, after all, his lawsuit would benefit all players; therefore, he was given permission to move forward. Although unsuccessful in his efforts to eliminate the reserve clause, Flood's challenge, which went all the way up to the Supreme Court, opened the door for the 1975 removal of the clause, which resulted in the introduction of free agency. While Flood's career never recovered, his accomplishment was significant. His contract with the Washington Senators boasted the following clauses: no-cut, no-trade, and automatic free agency after his contract ended (Florio and Shapiro 195). If Flood was a model minority and unwilling to sacrifice his career, the stranglehold the owners had over players may have continued.  

In 1971, baseball saw something new for the first time, a starting lineup with only Black and Black Latino players. The Pittsburgh Pirates' lineup was "the first time in 102 years of professional baseball, twenty-four years after Jackie Robinson's historic breaking of the color barrier, a Major League team was starting an all-minority lineup" (Florio and Shapiro 197). While the focus was on winning the pennant, the lineup had largely gone unnoticed. In 1963, Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh tried the same thing but was forced to replace a player to avoid the all-minority line-up, this time Murtaugh was able to let the line-up stand.

Branch Rickey, the Pirates' general manger, could be credited with this line-up as well. A visionary on what baseball could be, he signed Robinson to the Dodgers before moving to the Pirates. He then went on to sign twelve Black players to the Pirates within a two-year span (Florio and Shapiro 199). By the 1970s, baseball had shifted, line-ups were made of Black, Latino, and white players, the South was no longer segregated, and this powerful move of an all-minority line-up was not news. While minority players did, and still do, encounter racism and criticism for being political, baseball had fully broken the color barrier.


Current Times: 2017 and Bruce Maxwell's Stand

The stories from the 2020 season show players protesting and taking a stand with little to no consequences (other than reporter and fan commentary); however, this was not the case in 2017, when Bruce Maxwell decided to follow Colin Kaepernick's lead and took a knee to protest police brutality and injustices. He was the first major league player to take a stand, and like Kaepernick, his career suffered. On September 23, 2017, Maxwell notified the Oakland As of his plan to take a knee during the national anthem as a result of hearing Trump, in his hometown, garner support using racist rhetoric. Maxwell knew there would be fallout, but nothing prepared him for the reactions he endured.
           
Don Riddle's article, "Baseball starter Bruce Maxwell took a knee and then his life unraveled in Trump's America," outlines what Maxwell experienced after this fateful decision. Maxwell explains, "I got numerous death threats for not only myself, but the rest of my family. I had people want to burn my house down, people calling me the N-word, people threatening to hang me and my family. I had a couple of people call my mom 'N-word lover.' I mean, you name it" (qtd. in Riddle). Maxwell notes that while his team appeared supportive, there was no real support once his decision was made: "Outside of saying 'we support you,' there was no substantial support. The team said: 'It's your choice, we're behind you.' They gave me the freedom to do it, they didn't object" ( qtd. in Riddle). When his teammates became aware of the difficulty Maxwell faced as a result of his decision, he was left to deal with the fallout and reactions on his own. He became depressed, and his troubles continued to grow. Eventually arrested on aggravated assault charges when he pulled a gun on a delivery driver, he was able to plead to a lesser charge because he did not point a gun at the driver (as police had alleged during his arrest). Following this event, Maxwell was cut from the As, but his love of baseball, even with all that he had gone through, did not fade.
           
In 2019, Maxwell reappeared in the Mexican league. Here Maxwell was able to find his comfort in the game again and stood out as a shining star. The New York Mets took notice of his performance and signed him to a minor league deal. November 2, 2020, Maxwell was invited to spring training. With President Biden's election, Maxwell knew he made the right decision coming back, but he noted that he was fully prepared to stay in Mexico if Trump was re-elected.

Maxwell's actions inspired other players to take a knee. Understanding the fear others face and their hesitancy, he explained, "We make up a very, very small amount in Major League Baseball, including coaches. And so it makes it very hard to speak out. We're outnumbered in there. You try to mind your P's and Q's, to stay in the game and keep your job and keep a good image. I just feel like people were afraid to take the same stance" (qtd. in Riddell). Maxwell’s stand against the racist rhetoric and actions plaguing our nation at the time is important. Without him taking the first step, we would not have witnessed entire teams coming together to make a statement that these social injustices have to stop.


Major League Baseball's Support

Major League Baseball finally made the decision to allow players to have the option to wear a "Black Lives Matter" or "United for Change" patch on their jerseys during the 2020 baseball season on the left sleeve (unless there was a pre-existing patch on the sleeve), along with the option of having an inverted MLB logo to state BLM on the pitcher's mound during opening weekend.

MLB also stated, "after discussions among the commissioner's office and the Major League Baseball Players Association, The Players Alliance and individual players, each player may wear a wristband with an inverted MLB logo in which the silhouetted batter is black, the first use of such a logo" ("MLB Allows"). Players were also allowed to wear "Black Lives Matter" shirts during batting practice, and MLB eased the restrictions on cleats, allowing players to provide social justice messages in other forms. Wristbands and batting t-shirts were allowed to display messages as well.

Major League Baseball also answered the call of players and "joined its players on June 10, announcing donations to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Equal Justice Initiative, the Color of Change and the Jackie Robinson Foundation" (Shapiro). All of these decisions coincided with 100-year anniversary of the Negro League. Baseball needed to make a statement, and players needed to be heard in the statements they wanted to make utilizing their platform of choice.


2020 Opening Day

The Nationals and Dodgers took advantage of the inverted MLB logo and placed BLM on the pitcher's mound. The Rays took it a step further, tweeting "Today is Opening Day, which means it's a great day to arrest the killers of Breonna Taylor." Players and clubs were going to use the spotlight of the sporting world to keep the issue that America had been dealing with for decades in the forefront of everyone's mind. The Red Sox found Tampa's tweet worthy of a retweet. Four teams utilized the option to have a patch on their jerseys for opening weekend: The Nationals, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Francisco Giants. Players from across the league wore "Black Lives Matter" shirts during batting practice; from East to West Coast, baseball joined together to make the statement clear: Black Lives Matter.
        

Since Colin Kaepernick's infamous kneeling for the national anthem, players across multiple sports have followed his lead, continuing his protest after his exit from the NFL. Opening day saw the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals take a knee before the National Anthem, yet fans were still up in arms and angry over the move. Many threatened to "never watch baseball again." Every player and every coach kneeled together, holding a black ribbon and making a clear statement: they will not stand for racial injustices.

All of these actions were supported by Major League Baseball's policies. A new policy was drafted after MLB met with the Players Association, the Players Alliance, and players. "MLB stands in solidarity with the Black community in the fight for racial and social justice," the document reads. It continues, "MLB recognizes more needs to be done. MLB will continue to listen to the Black community including MLB players, The Players Alliance and MLB and Club staff about this issue; enhance initiatives to improve Black representation in baseball on and off-the-field; expand charitable donations to social justice organizations; and continue to amplify the voices of our players" (qtd. in Murphy). Baseball, yet again, led the way with addressing social issues. Racism did not go away with the integration of baseball, it did not go away with desegregation, and it is not gone now, but the significance of MLB's support for its players in these socially significant times should not go unnoticed.


Player Protests

There are a number of examples that stand out in terms of player protests. Noted ones on opening day were met with fan criticism, but players continued to show they were not going to stop protesting the injustices they saw occurring in American society. Entering the weekend celebrating Jackie Robinson during the 2020 season, baseball witnessed another set of protests. The shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin caused players to once again make on-field statements. Blake was shot seven times in the back by police officers and left partially paralyzed. Players decided to take a stand and call attention to yet another instance of social and racial injustice.

A notable protest came on Thursday, August 27, 2020, when two ball clubs, the Mets and the Marlins, decided to unite to take the field for 42 seconds of silence, ostensibly to honor Jackie Robinson, and then leave the field, refusing to play that night's game. This protest followed Wednesday's protests by other teams, such as the Brewers, Padres, Reds, and others who refused to play. Thursday, MLB saw fourteen other teams joining the protest. Baseball was making a statement. Jack Baer describes what took place:

After rumblings of a potential player protest, the Mets took their places on the field as scheduled. However, starting pitcher Michael Wacha did not throw a warm-up pitch, and the teams did not exchange lineup cards. Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson stepped into the box and both teams seemed in position to start playing, but only 42 seconds of silence, likely in honor of Jackie Robinson, followed. Both teams then exited the field, with Brinson leaving a "Black Lives Matter" shirt at home plate.

The statement made by the players was clear; they wanted these injustices to stop.

While 2020 showed a number of protests from teams and players, the expectation for many fans was that the 2021 season would unfold differently; after all, we were coming out of the pandemic, and there were fans in the stand. In April 2021, as all eyes were turned back to George Floyd's death while we awaited the verdict from the Derek Chauvin trial, Daunte Wright was killed during a traffic stop in Minnesota. This event intensified the tensions already in existence due to the Chauvin case. Aaron Hicks of the Yankees made the decision to sit out of the game, and manager Aaron Boone fully supported his decision.

Fans, on the other hand, were not so understanding as the Yankees Facebook page was flooded with comments from fans and reporters as they tried to understand Hicks’s decision. Boone took a family approach to supporting Hicks, much like he did with other players who spoke out against police brutality during the George Floyd protests; fans took the "we pay you to play approach." Boone noted that "things go on in society and culture that spill over into athletics. These guys, rightfully so, have gained more and more of a platform to express themselves. I support their right to do that" (qtd. in Martin).


Major League Status Achieved
           
The Negro League finally gained major league status in December of 2020, which resulted in the acknowledgement and recognition of records and statistics of its players. But this status change was not without a long fight, and many arguments provided by baseball scholars. Tod Knorr gives credit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum for including players from the Negro League, but he notes the limitations in the celebration of the players. While they have inducted thirty-five players since 1971 from the Negro League, Knorr explains that "in telling the story of baseball during the pre-integration era, the Hall should more fully and seamlessly trumpet the story of the Negro Leagues. Instead of being banished to a separate section, Negro Leaguers could be incorporated into exhibit" (100).

Anthony Castrovince explains that only Negro Leagues statistics 1920-1948 will be included because "attempts to develop Negro Leagues prior to 1920 were ultimately unsuccessful and lacked a league structure. And 1948 was deemed to be a reasonable end point because it was the last year of the Negro National League and the segregated World Series. After that point, the Negro League teams and leagues that had endured were stripped of much of their talent." But even with these limitations, there is bound to be some controversy as the statistics would impact the standing of some of baseball's greats. Castrovince continues:

Gibson's Negro Leagues-leading 238 home runs, as confirmed by Seamheads, can now conceivably be folded into MLB's all-time leaderboard, alongside the identical totals of Earl Averill, Ray Lankford and J.D. Martinez. Same with Willie Foster's 150 known pitching wins (the most in the Negro Leagues between 1920-48, according to Seamheads), which tie him with Rube Benton, Dizzy Dean, Rick Porcello, David Price and Jered Weaver on the current Major League register.

Less clear at this stage...is how rate statistics such as batting average or slugging percentage will be classified. For instance, Gibson (.365), Jud Wilson (.359), Charleston (.350) and Turkey Stearnes (.348) all had at least 3,000 career plate appearances and batting averages that would rank in the top 10 all-time, according to the Seamheads database. Their inclusion on that particular list would push the legendary likes of Ted Williams (.344) and Babe Ruth (.342) out of the top 10.

These parameters are interesting, especially when the stats from the Negro American League after 1948 will not be included, which would impact such players as Hank Aaron. With this change in recognition for the Negro League, only time will tell how the statistics, records, and players will truly be encompassed into the Hall of Fame.


Conclusion
           
Baseball has never been devoid of political statements and practices; they were just rooted in creating a model minority and an expectation of compliance with an ideal. The 1960s provided the ground for social issues to enter onto the field, and the increased social issues that plagued our society expanded the players' need to protest and provide commentary. Social issues off the field affect those on the field, regardless of the sport, but the expectation from fans, and, until recently, owners, managers, and the league commissioners was for players to "shut up and play."

The field was not where those issues were present, but sadly history shows that these issues are rooted and perpetuated in sports, especially baseball. We are in drastically different times, and far too many players have paved the way for baseball not to be used as a platform to promote social change. The expectations that many players should maintain the old practices of remaining devoid of political and social involvement is outdated and antiquated. A player's voice is powerful on and off the field.

While baseball has gained some ground in restructuring their thinking and practices (regardless of fan responses), I question when fans will see these players as social beings and not just players who are paid to play. When did a contract to play professional sports mean that you no longer exist as person in our nation – someone not impacted by social events? The acknowledgement of the Negro League is a positive move, one that surely alters the narrative of baseball, but it is also important to acknowledge the players who refused to adhere to the model minority expectation or the organizational culture. They led the way for players today to address social injustices that continue to be present in American culture.

 

Works Cited

@RaysBaseball. "Today is Opening Day, which means it is a great day to arrest the killers of Breonna Taylor." Twitter, 24 July 2020, 8:00 a.m.

Baer, Jack. "Mets, Marlins walk off field after 42-second moment of silence." Yahoo, 27 August 2020, https://sports.yahoo.com/mets-marlins-walk-off-field-after-42-second-moment-of-silence-232617590.html

Castrovince, Anthony. "MLB adds Negro Leagues to official records." MLB, 16 December 2020, https://www.mlb.com/news/negro-leagues-given-major-league-status-for-baseball-records-stats

Florio, John and Ouisie Shapiro. One Nation Under Baseball: How the 1960s Collided with the National Pastime. U of Nebraska P, 2017.

Gems, Gerald R. The Athletic Crusade: Sport and American Cultural Imperialism. U of Nebraska P, 2006.

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