Negro League Baseball: The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution - Hardcover

Lanctot, Neil

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0812238079 ISBN 13: 9780812238075

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004

Synopsis

The story of black professional baseball provides a remarkable perspective on several major themes in modern African American history: the initial black response to segregation, the subsequent struggle to establish successful separate enterprises, and the later movement toward integration. Baseball functioned as a critical component in the separate economy catering to black consumers in the urban centers of the North and South. While most black businesses struggled to survive from year to year, professional baseball teams and leagues operated for decades, representing a major achievement in black enterprise and institution building."Negro League Baseball: The Rise and Ruin of a Black Institution" presents the extraordinary history of a great African American achievement, from its lowest ebb during the Depression, through its golden age and World War II, until its gradual disappearance during the early years of the civil rights era. Faced with only a limited amount of correspondence and documents, Lanctot consulted virtually every sports page of every black newspaper located in a league city. He then conducted interviews with former players and scrutinized existing financial, court, and federal records. Through his efforts, Lanctot has painstakingly reconstructed the institutional history of black professional baseball, locating the players, teams, owners, and fans in the wider context of the league's administration. In addition, he provides valuable insight into the changing attitudes of African Americans toward the need for separate institutions.

About this title

About the Author

Neil Lanctot teaches history at the University of Delaware. He is author of Fair Dealing and Clean Playing: The Hilldale Club and The Development of Black Professional Baseball, 1910-1932.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0812238079
• ISBN 13: 9780812238075
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 512