|
|
This is only a preview of the paper
Click here to register and get the full text.
Existing members click here to login
|
|
|
Baseball has always been America¡¯s pastime. From its beginnings as a game for the fraternal bonding of gentlemen, to its current form as a multi-billion dollar industry, baseball has been embraced by the nation. ... One particularly distinct aspect of baseball¡¯s progression which reflects American society is the experience of players of minority ethnicity and descent in the game. ... The degree of success that each achieved was based on the eras that their careers spanned, and greatly influenced by the state of baseball and American society of the time. ... Each man faced different challenges and dealt with these challenges in different ways, and their experiences are markers of the evolution of American values and standards.
Baseball¡¯s beginnings and expansion into the national pastime were during a time marked with the racial issues brought on by the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865 and the Reconstruction era. ... Although freed and guaranteed protection by Congress, African-Americans still faced many of the prejudices that existed before the Civil war, prejudices that were present in baseball as well.
Moses Fleetwood Walker was baseball¡¯s first black major leaguer. The events that transpired in his short career with the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association in 1884 are telling of American society¡¯s attitudes towards blacks and racial relations at the time. Born to mulatto parents in Ohio, Walker attended Oberlin College, where he fell in love with baseball for the first time. ... ¡± Walker, like all African-American players, was black first, and baseball player second. ... Cap Anson, the man who is often blamed for bringing segregation for baseball and manager of the Chicago White stockings, refused to play against Toledo in an exhibition game due to Walker¡¯s presence. ... All of these events showed that African-Americans were far from being accepted, and indeed in the mid 1880s they were banned from professional baseball. ... In addition, a 1917 mandate by the National Commission of baseball had declared that ¡°all major league ball clubs in uniform not participate in postseason exhibition contests.¡± Black writer and former playing David Wyatt ¡°saw a possible next move a campaign to prevent black baseball or semipro squads from appearing in major league parks. ... He certainly received more respect than Walker; blacks and whites alike admitted that he was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, an extremely talented manager, and a shrewd businessman. ... ¡± Still, the latter years of Foster¡¯s life showed that Foster was deeply affected by his desire for baseball integration. When baseball commissioner Kenesaw Landis vetoed the idea of Foster¡¯s Chicago American Giants playing against other major league teams in 1926, Foster was devastated. ... Washington¡¯s ideals of separate economic and social development for blacks, ¡°so that his race might prepare itself for ultimate inclusion in American life.¡± Foster¡¯s life also exemplified the dualism of the African-American as explained by W. ... Du Bois ¨C he created the first Negro League to provide a service to the black community, and at the same time gain respect from the general American community. This, Du Bois said, would prepare the black man for the day when ¡°it would be possible for a man to be both a Negro and American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows.¡±
Hank Greenberg was a different kind of pioneer in baseball compared to Walker and Foster: he was the first Jewish superstar. ... No longer was Greenberg the Jewish standard bearer; now he was the war hero, representative of everything that baseball and America stood for. ... This ultimately paved the way for total integration in baseball.
Approximate Word count = 2988
Approximate Pages = 12
(250 words per page double spaced)
|
|
|
|
|
|