Black Baseball Players
Nowadays black baseball players are a common sight in baseball sport, but this has not always been the case. Before the 1940s black players were not allowed to play together with white players as a result of the segregation between white and black in the United States. It was not for the teams not being allowed to hire black baseball players, but rather black baseball players experiencing racism by their white counter parts. This was especially hard to see in July of 1887, when Cap Anderson refused to play until the two black players on the opposing team where removed from the game. The only way for a black baseball player to play baseball was in the Negro Baseball Leagues. The first professional black baseball players played in the Cuban Giants established in 1885.
The first black major league baseball players were signed in 1947. Jackie Robinson, a black baseball player, as a matter of fact was the first black player to be signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15th, 1947. Other famous black baseball players belonging to the first black baseball players signed up for the Major League in 1947 are Larry Doby (Cleveland Indians), Hank Thompson (St. Louis Browns) and Dan Bankhead (Brooklyn Dodgers)
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A list of black baseball players belonging to the Negro Leagues can be found at the Major League Baseball history pages, in the Negro Baseball League museum and other African-American history books. Black baseball players of the past are especially honored in the Negro Baseball League museum in Kansas, Missouri. The number of black baseball players still alive who played in the Negro Leagues is estimated to be around 100-200.
Even nowadays, where segregation does not exist anymore and racism against blacks is almost vanished the percentage of black Major League Baseball players is 9% according to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. To compare this to 1975 with 27% black people the percentage is way lower.
Jackie Robinson the first black baseball player to get his jersey retired in honor of his 50th anniversary of his first Major League game.
Hank Aaron was the 1st black baseball player to top the record list for most homeruns and so far is still on the top. Barry Bonds, a black baseball player who is currently less than 5 homeruns away to tie Hank Aaron, will probably break this record in 2007.
MartÃn Dihigo was the first player in general and the first black baseball player to be inducted in three hall of fames: Mexico, Cuba and the United States.
