Examples Of Racism In Baseball

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An early example of racism in sport was the color ban in baseball dating back to 1867. Under this ban, “membership clubs composed of one or more colored players” were prohibited to participate in organized baseball according to the governing body of the National Association of Base Ball Players (Hylton, 1998, p. 389). This ban carried on as an unwritten rule as future baseball organizations developed, which was titled, the “Gentlemen’s Agreement” (Hylton, 1998, p. 389). When most people think of baseball and racism, Jackie Robinson comes to mind more often then not for breaking the color barrier. This is associated with the common misconception that he was the first African-American to play in the major league. The first African American to play in the major league was actually Moses Fleetwood Walker. …show more content…
After spending several seasons with the minor league team, the team gained access into the major league in the season of 1884. Moses remained on the team during their first year in the major league and became the first African-American to play major league baseball (Hylton, 1998, p. 390). His brother, Weldy, joined the team later in the 1884 season, making him the second African-American player to play in the major leagues (Husman, n.d.). The brothers reign did not last long, as their participation caused much racial aversion, which led to both of them being released from the team before their first season in the major leagues even came to an