Major League Baseball: A Game's History and Transition

In a time where the United States had been through World War II, Major League Baseball was also a game in transition. For the majority of the game's early history, no one felt the need to intergrate the game. Well-known players such as Ty Cobb, Cap Anson, and John McGraw had all refused to take the field with an player of African-American descent.

In 1916, Jimmy Claxton had broken the color barrier, but it proved to be temporary. He played for one game for the Oakland Oaks minor league team after being introduced to the team owner through an Oklahoma tribe member. After the owner found out about him being of both Native American and African-American descent, he was fired.

This prompted the formation of the Negro Leagues in 1920 by Rube Foster. Two major leagues had been played simultaneously up until the Negro National League, as it was called, folded in 1931.

The first commissioner of baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, had allegedly prevented the game from intergration. For many years, Landis didn't want to integrate the game because of having to heavily compensate the Negro League owners for potentially losing their investment. Furthermore, Landis would likely have had to integrate the minor leagues which most of those teams were located in the South and Midwestern parts of the United States.

For many years, it was said that players in the major leagues threatened to quit if any African-American player was on the same roster as them. Also, while the game lost many players due to wartime which in turn depleted many rosters, the game still had not seen integration.

Finally in 1945, baseball executive Branch Rickey, with the approval of newly elected baseball commissioner Happy Chandler, signed Jackie Robinson to a contract, intending him to play for the Dodgers. After Robinson had a great minor league season with the Montreal Royals, he was called up to the major leagues in 1947.

On April 15, 1947, Robinson made his debut playing first base for the Dodgers at Ebbetts Field against the Boston Braves. Despite the fact that Robinson went 0-for-3 in his debut, the color barrier in baseball had been broken once and for all. The impact of his debut forever changed the game of baseball.

Later in the 1947 season, Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck signed a lesser-known Negro League star by the name of Larry Doby to a contract. In fact, it was Veeck who tried to gain ownership of the Philadelphia Phillies team in 1943. Rumors are still going around to this day that Veeck tried to sign several Negro League players because of the depletion of the team's roster during World War II. Instead, the Phillies were sold to a different group of owners.

After a slow start to his rookie season, Robinson finished the year on a strong note by winning the league's Rookie of the Year honors. Doby struggled in his debut season as well. Both players experienced racially motivated threats and often times received hate and death related mail. Also, many of their teammates and opposing teams verbally abused and threatened them. Some Dodger players even were even threatening to quit because of Robinson. However, Dodger management informed those who opposed playing next to Robinson, to find employment elsewhere.

Robinson's play along with his ability to endure such harsh treatment did not go unnoticed. Doby's accomplishments were rather ignored until he received induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. Robinson was inducted in during his first year of eligibility in 1962.

It was the Dodgers who spear-headed integration in baseball. Not only was Robinson signed, but the organization also brought in catcher Roy Campanella and pitcher Don Newcombe. Both players were sent to the minor leagues, but both would later become intrical parts to the success of the Dodgers.

With the success of Robinson and Doby, other teams slowly began to integrate their teams. The minor leagues would also follow suit in the integration process as well. The last major league team to integrate their roster was the Boston Red Sox due the ownership's resistance to sign African-American players. In 1959, the Red Sox signed their first African-American player, Pumpsie Green.

That April day in 1947 is what started the trend of changing the game of baseball forever. Robinson's heroism with all he had to endure as a player, still did nothing to prevent a Hall of Fame career that saw him have a lifetime batting average of .311. The Dodgers organization as well as Robinson deserves alot of credit for leading the charge of integration into baseball. The game has become more competitive, and players from all descents are making the game appeal to all nationalities. Yes, the game has seen many issues in recent years with labor talks, large and small markets, and steroid abuse. But the game would be much less appealing if it wasn't for the signing and debut of Jackie Robinson on April 15, 1947. That day gave baseball the chance to sign players from all of the world that have shaped the game as we know it.