Raceball: How the Major Leagues Colonized the Black and Latin

Raceball: How the Major Leagues Colonized the Black and Latin Game

The colliding histories of black and Latin ballplayers in the major leagues have traditionally been told as a story of their shameful segregation and redemptive integration. Jackie Robinson jumped baseballâ€™s color line to much fanfare, but integration was painful as well as triumphal. It gutted the once-vibrant Negro Leagues and often subjected Latin players to Jim Crow racism.
Â
Today, Major League Baseball tightens its grasp around the Caribbeanâ€™s burgeoning baseball academies, while at home it embracesâ€”and exploitsâ€”the legacy of the Negro Leagues. Award-winning historian Rob Ruck explains the catalyst for this sea change while breaking down the consequences that cut across society. By looking at this history from the vantage point of black America and the Caribbean, Raceball unveils a fresh and stunning truth: baseball has never been stronger as a business, never weaker as a game.

Raceball: How the Major Leagues Colonized the Black and Latin Game