When baseball went white : reconstruction, reconciliation, and dreams of a national pastime

"Explains how in the decade following the Civil War, baseball became segregated because its leaders wanted to grow its presence and appeal to Southerners, and wanted to professionalize it. The result was the exclusion of black players that lasted until 1947"-- Abstract: Tells the story of Jackie Robinson valiantly breaking baseball's color barrier in 1947. Focusing on Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Richmond - three cities with large African American populations and thriving baseball clubs, this book uncovers the origins of baseball's segregation and the mechanics of its implementation. Read more... The story of Jackie Robinson valiantly breaking baseball’s color barrier in 1947 is one that most Americans know. But less recognized is the fact that some seventy years earlier, following the Civil War, baseball was tenuously biracial and had the potential for a truly open game. How, then, did the game become so firmly segregated that it required a trailblazer like Robinson? The answer, Ryan A. Swanson suggests, has everything to do with the politics of “reconciliation” and a wish to avoid the issues of race that an integrated game necessarily raised. The history of baseball during Reconstruction, as Swanson tells it, is a story of lost opportunities. Thomas Fitzgerald and Octavius Catto (a Philadelphia baseball tandem), for example, were poised to emerge as pioneers of integration in the 1860s. Instead, the desire to create a “national game”—professional and appealing to white Northerners and Southerners alike—trumped any movement toward civil rights. Focusing on Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Richmond—three cities with large African American populations and thriving baseball clubs—Swanson uncovers the origins of baseball’s segregation and the mechanics of its implementation. An important piece of sports history, his work also offers a better understanding of Reconstruction, race, and segregation in America. Content: List of illustrations -- Introduction -- Prominent players and clubs -- The war's over, 1865-67. Washington DC : A game to be governed Richamond : make it a southern game Philadelphia : baseball's boomtown -- Sorting our new divisions, 1867-69. Philadelphia : setting precedent Washington DC : nationalizing deparation Richmond : calibrating a response -- New realities entrenched, the 1870s. Philadelphia : permanent solutions Richmond : the final tally Washington DC : professional separation. "Explains how in the decade following the Civil War, baseball became segregated because its leaders wanted to grow its presence and appeal to Southerners, and wanted to professionalize it. The result was the exclusion of black players that lasted until 1947"-- Provided by publisher In the decade after the Civil War, baseball became segregated because its leaders wanted to grow its presence and appeal to Southerners and to professionalize the sport. As a result, Black players were excluded until 1947.