Spring Break
Doors closed in America's pastime
Speaker addresses issues of former Negro Baseball League players
Trevor Kupfer
Issue date: 2/27/06 Section: Campus News
When Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier of Major League Baseball in 1947, the majority of baseball fans with hindsight (including commissioner Bud Selig) saw it as an important landmark that paved the way for baseball.
What many people aren't aware of, however, is that hundreds of Negro League baseball players were left out in the cold by MLB.
On Wednesday afternoon, former Negro League player Dennis "Bose" Biddle spoke about this issue in Davies Theatre.
"They played ball all their lives. That's all they knew, and today they live out there without any kind of medical (insurance)," Biddle said.
In 1996 Biddle developed Yesterday's Negro League Baseball Players Foundation, LLC, a foundation set up to save faith for the living players.
The event opened with a documentary made for the younger generations to know the true history of Negro League baseball. The film and Biddle drew the audience's mind back to when African Americans first emerged in baseball's mainstream, more than 100 years ago.
In 1884 catcher Fleet Walker entered baseball despite overwhelming obstacles and eventually was forced out in 1887. For the next
60 years, blacks were exiled from baseball.
Shortly after the race riots of 1919, Andrew Foster began an eight-team baseball organization called the Negro League.
By 1923, thousands flocked to stadiums to see Negro League games.
"We drew overwhelming crowds and the world noticed," former Chicago American Giants player Biddle said. "It was a different type of game than anyone had ever seen."
Biddle cited Friday night games at Comiskey Park when the Chicago White Sox packed in 20,000 fans and the following Saturday when the Chicago American Giants drew 37,000.
When commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis died, Branch Rickey stepped in to change baseball forever.
Biddle said Rickey was looking for an icon to open the door. After interviews with Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, Branch turned to a tough, determined and educated Jackie Robinson.
What many people aren't aware of, however, is that hundreds of Negro League baseball players were left out in the cold by MLB.
On Wednesday afternoon, former Negro League player Dennis "Bose" Biddle spoke about this issue in Davies Theatre.
"They played ball all their lives. That's all they knew, and today they live out there without any kind of medical (insurance)," Biddle said.
In 1996 Biddle developed Yesterday's Negro League Baseball Players Foundation, LLC, a foundation set up to save faith for the living players.
The event opened with a documentary made for the younger generations to know the true history of Negro League baseball. The film and Biddle drew the audience's mind back to when African Americans first emerged in baseball's mainstream, more than 100 years ago.
In 1884 catcher Fleet Walker entered baseball despite overwhelming obstacles and eventually was forced out in 1887. For the next
60 years, blacks were exiled from baseball.
Shortly after the race riots of 1919, Andrew Foster began an eight-team baseball organization called the Negro League.
By 1923, thousands flocked to stadiums to see Negro League games.
"We drew overwhelming crowds and the world noticed," former Chicago American Giants player Biddle said. "It was a different type of game than anyone had ever seen."
Biddle cited Friday night games at Comiskey Park when the Chicago White Sox packed in 20,000 fans and the following Saturday when the Chicago American Giants drew 37,000.
When commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis died, Branch Rickey stepped in to change baseball forever.
Biddle said Rickey was looking for an icon to open the door. After interviews with Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, Branch turned to a tough, determined and educated Jackie Robinson.