Since 1839, baseball has been a sport that has been loved by America. The crack of the bat, the smell of the freshly cut grass, the cheering fans; these things are all part of what has made baseball America's greatest past time. Today, the best baseball in the world is played in the United States. However, it is not only played by Americans. Players from all over the world have been drafted into the Major Leagues. These days, the Major Leagues have no racial barriers. But that was not always the case. It wasn't until 1947 when African American ball players were first allowed to play in the major leagues. Thus beginning the revolution of baseball.
Baseball was invented in 1839 by Abner Doubleday. However, baseball was not touted as America's "national game" until the late 1860's (Bucek, 70). That was when the first major league emerged. The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players became the first professional league. In the early stages of the major leagues there was no structure or precedence and leagues emerged and folded in little or no time. .
Although it was not a written rule, black players were not admitted into the majors at this time. In 1868, the NAPBBP voted unanimously to ban "any club which may be composed of one or more colored persons." (Schwarz, 82) The only exception came in 1883 when brothers Fleet and Welday Walker signed with the Toledo Blue Stockings, a Triple A team. A year later the Blue Stockings joined the American Association, which was considered a major league team (Schwarz, 82). The Welday brothers" career in the majors was short lived, playing only for one year, however they still remained the only black players to play in the major leagues until 1947.
During this time, Negro teams began to surface around the country. The first all-black team, the Cuban Giants, was formed in 1885 (Schulian, 153). The team was composed of employees from the Argyle Hotel in Babylon, New York.
