If you thought Jackie Robinson was the first black player in professional baseball, “league” I would like to make a correction. Moses Fleetwood Walker became a catcher for the Toledo Blue Stockings in 1884, before organized baseball was segregated. That was more than 60 years before Robinson broke the major league color lines.
This documentary by Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”) traces the history of the black leagues that formed during that time. And while the sport’s long-awaited consolidation after World War II, one commentator was banned from competing in diamonds on Guadalcanal, even though blacks and whites fought together. Citing the absurdity, “The League” points out that as the majors acquire star players: Without buying out their contracts, the black league and the economic community built around them could not receive adequate compensation.
Pollard presents the subject matter bluntly and sometimes dryly, with authors, historians, and players themselves sharing stories of team rivalries and visionary owners in archival material. Among the (sometimes tragic) figures featured is Rube Foster, who upped the tempo of the game and persuaded other team owners to form a league. Josh Gibson still has the best season batting average in history. And Newark Eagles owner Efa Manley rushed to recruit a talented team after the color barrier fell. The film further complicates the situation for baseball legends. Larry Lester, founder of the Negro League Baseball Museum, said that when Babe Ruth set the home run record (later broken by Hank Aaron), he was at a time when racism kept many good pitchers out. points out that they have achieved a record.
This history is certainly covered in detail elsewhere, but “The League” tells it in a moving way.
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PG designation. Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes. at the theater.
