J A C K I E R O B I N S O N Greatest Events in SPORTS HISTORY S M O L K A SportsZone BREAKS THE Fans watch new sporting events every day. But only a few are truly unforgettable. Readers can relive some of the most amazing and important moments in sports with Greatest Events in Sports History. The books in this exciting series bring the stories to life with J A a compelling narrative, classic photographs, and news excerpts that C K COLOR BARRIER provide detail and context, putting the readers on the scene as history I E unfolds. This series will help make sure some of the most memorable R O and important moments in sports history are not forgotten. B I N S O by Bo Smolka N § Historic Photos § Glossary B R FEATURES: E § In the News Sidebars § Additional Resources A K S § Timeline § Index T H E C O L O R B BOOKS IN THIS SERIES: A R R I Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier E R Joe Namath’s Super Bowl Guarantee Magic vs. Bird in the NCAA Final The Miracle on Ice Tiger Woods Makes Masters History US Women Win the World Cup ABDO PUBLISHING IS A DIVISION OF ABDO WWW.ABDOPUBLISHING.COM Greatest Events in SPORTS HISTORY ABD_EVEN_JACK_COV.indd 1 7/30/14 10:00 AM J A C K I E R O B I N S O N BREAKS THE COLOR BARRIER by Bo Smolka Greatest Events in SPORTS HISTORY SportsZone An Imprint of Abdo Publishing www.abdopublishing.com ABD_EVEN_JACK_FPGS.indd 1 10/13/14 5:40 PM www.abdopublishing.com Published by Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO, PO Box 398166, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55439. Copyright © 2015 by Abdo Consulting Group, Inc. International copyrights reserved in all countries. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. SportsZone™ is a trademark and logo of Abdo Publishing. Printed in the United States of America, North Mankato, Minnesota 092014 012015 Cover Photo: John Rooney/AP Images Interior Photos: John Rooney/AP Images, 1; AP Images, 4, 9, 10, 13, 14, 17, 23, 29; Bettmann/ Corbis, 7, 24, 27, 30, 33, 34, 36, 38, 41; Ed Widdis/AP Images, 18; Nam Y. Huh/AP Images, 43 Editor: Chrös McDougall Series Designer: Craig Hinton Library of Congress Control Number: 2014944196 Cataloging-in-Publication Data Smolka, Bo. Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier / Bo Smolka. p. cm. -- (Greatest events in sports history) ISBN 978-1-62403-594-4 (lib. bdg.) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Baseball--United States--History--Juvenile literature. 2. African American baseball players- -United States--Juvenile literature. I. Title. 796.357--dc23 2014944196 ABD_EVEN_JACK_FPGS.indd 2 10/13/14 5:40 PM C O N T E N T S ONE Baseball’s Color Barrier • 5 TWO Rickey’s “Great Experiment” • 11 THREE “Well, This Is It”• 19 FOUR Will He Get the Call? • 25 FIVE A Major Test • 31 SIX Jackie Robinson’s Legacy • 39 Timeline 44 Glossary 45 For More information 46 Index 48 About the Author 48 ABD_EVEN_JACK_FPGS.indd 3 10/13/14 5:40 PM ABD_EVEN_JACK_FPGS.indd 4 10/13/14 5:40 PM 1 Adrian “Cap” Anson was influential in forcing black players CHAPTER out of organized baseball during the late 1800s. Baseball’s Color Barrier T he Newark Little Giants took the field for an exhibition game in 1887 against the Chicago White Stockings. Set to start for the Giants was George Stovey, a black pitcher. White Stockings player-manager Adrian “Cap” Anson reacted angrily. “What’s he doing here?” Anson implied. “Get him off the field!” Anson said his team would not play against any team with black players. Scenes such as those were common at that time. The United States was not very united at all. It was deeply divided by race. In many places, particularly in the South, blacks faced discrimination of every kind. Signs outside hotels, restaurants, 5 ABD_EVEN_JACK_FPGS.indd 5 10/14/14 4:46 PM MOSES FLEETWOOD WALKER On May 1, 1884, Moses Fleetwood Walker played catcher for Toledo, Ohio, in the major league American Association. He is widely credited with being the first black major leaguer. A few black players followed him. However, baseball’s color line was drawn soon after. By the late 1800s, there were no blacks in organized baseball. theaters, and pools read: “Whites only.” That same discrimination extended to baseball. By 1900, black players were not allowed in organized baseball. That included major league teams and the minor league teams associated with them. No official rule prohibited black players. But team owners would not hire them. This became known as baseball’s color barrier, or color line. With organized baseball off-limits, top black players joined all-black teams. These teams played in what came to be known as the Negro Leagues. Most white fans paid no attention to the Negro Leagues. But by the 1940s, that began to change. Sometimes, Negro Leagues teams played offseason exhibition games against major leaguers. The Negro Leagues teams often won. In some cities, Negro Leagues teams rented major league stadiums and played there. White reporters took notice of their skills. They began to write about how good the best Negro Leagues players were. 6 ABD_EVEN_JACK_FPGS.indd 6 10/13/14 5:40 PM Members of the Negro Leagues’ Chicago Giants look out of the dugout in 1942. But Major League Baseball (MLB) refused to open its doors to black players. MLB’s commissioner, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, was strongly opposed to black players in the major leagues. He showed this belief when the Pittsburgh Pirates tried to sign catcher Josh Gibson. Gibson was a star in the Negro Leagues. He wowed fans with towering home runs. Many people compared him with Babe Ruth. In 1943, the Pirates wanted to sign Gibson. But Landis would not allow it. “The colored ballplayers have their own league,” Landis said. “Let them stay in their own league.” 7 ABD_EVEN_JACK_FPGS.indd 7 10/14/14 5:10 PM News IN THE Black sportswriters had long called on offered them contracts, and MLB to integrate. By the 1930s, some there are outfielders who could white sportswriters joined the chorus. hit .350. . . . Only one thing is One such writer was Shirley Povich of keeping them out of the big the Washington Post. leagues—the pigmentation of their skin. They happen to There’s a couple of million be colored. That’s their crime dollars worth of baseball in the eyes of big league club talent on the loose, ready for owners. . . . Just how a colored the big leagues yet unsigned player would be detrimental by any major league clubs. to the game has never been There are pitchers who would fully explained. win 20 games this season for any big league club that Source: Shirley Povich. “This Morning With Shirley Povich.” The Washington Post, April 7, 1939. ProQuest. Landis died in 1944. Albert “Happy” Chandler took over as commissioner. He had a much different view about black players in baseball. Chandler pointed out that blacks had fought for the United States in World War II, which ended in 1945. They served and died for the country. Chandler and others believed they should also be able to play major league baseball. 8 ABD_EVEN_JACK_FPGS.indd 8 10/13/14 5:40 PM