https://nypost.com/2020/12/16/how-mlbs-negro-leagues-decision-affects-record-book/
They were not major league teams, though
They should not be regaded as such.
Nothing wrong with accurate history.
The timing of this doesn’t come off as pandering at all.
I wonder if anyone looked into Negro League owners being against integration. It seems to me that they would have had a vested interest in not letting their stars go to MLB. That’d kill their narrative though.
I have a hard time believing the decision to not allow blacks into MLB was solely up to the people running the league back then. I know quite a few were, but there were a LOT of people upset that blacks were not allowed to play for MLB teams ... my grandfather was one of them :-) ... when the Pittsburgh Pirates all but stunk after the 1920s, he followed the Homestead Grays and had said that many Negro League players should have been on major league teams :-).
Great news. The Cleveland Indians can change their name to the Cleveland Negros to honor the group. I’m sure that will be well received. /s
What about the Pacific League and the Women’s Baseball League?
Until Robinson, and Branch Rickey, the players in the Negro League, no matter how good they were, did not have the option to play in the American or National League.
Ah, we’re now to the point where ‘history’ is being officially rewritten. How Orwellian of them. This is not to say that the best stars of the Negro League weren’t major league quality and would have performed well in the majors but for the racism of the time, but they were competing in a minor league against mostly minor league players.
Baseball seems hellbent on alienating its fan base. Baseball is a game of records - now they’re meaningless?
Yeah! We gots da home run record and s—t dawg!
It makes sense to me. If you’re going to include other (defunct) pro leagues for stat purposes, then the Negro Leagues should be included as well.
MJ
My favorite team name:
The Atlanta Black Crackers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Black_Crackers
I am a long time baseball fan, 64 years, and I am totally on board with this.
Good job MLB for doing this. The Hall of Fame in Cooperstown has already welcomed the stars of the Black League back in that era.
Many radio game announcers would refer to Negro League stats when covering a game. White Sox as among the first to also brake the ban.
This is really only a problem because of Interleague Play, which is why I stopped watching baseball for 20+ years.
Before Interleague Play, all the records outside of the World Series were contained within the leagues themselves. Yes, Ruth’s HR records and Gehrig’s Iron Man record are recognized as all MLB, but the vast majority of stats: batting crowns, ERA leader, etc. are thought of in terms of the player’s league, as the leagues never played each other outside of the World Series.
Since the Negro Leagues were not included in the World Series, those records are untouched. The rest of the records can be regarded as within their leagues, where they are certainly valid.
The kind of all MLB records likely to go to a Negro Leaguer (e.g. most strikeouts in a game) are likely to be followed only by hardcore baseball stat fans who will know the context.
Should have done this years ago.
At this point, however, I’m not that interested anymore in professional sports for a variety of reasons.
I’ll watch a few minutes here or there, but meh.
Baseball... I seem to recall that stupid sport... before the world went crazy even I used to watch that nonsense...
But what of the “Old Negro Space Program” ?
But what of the “Old Negro Space Program” ?