Everyone knows the story of Jackie Robinson.
After playing in the Negro Leagues, Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first Black player to integrate Major League Baseball on April 15th, 1947.
Most sports fans have heard of the Negro Leagues and some of the more popular players including Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson.
But the majority of people in the country aren’t familiar with individuals such as Andrew “Rube” Foster, William H. Foster or James “Biz” Mackey.
These men, all Baseball Hall of Famers, are important figures in both baseball and American history. Unfortunately, their stories and legacies are excluded from sports history and Black History Month discussions.
But thanks to Strat-O-Matic and the Negro League Baseball Museum, that will soon change.
The two have partnered to distribute NFTs featuring some of the greatest players in Negro League baseball history.
Now everyone can learn about the rich history, careers and accomplishments of Black players who dominated and elevated the sport at a time when they were excluded by Major League Baseball.
Andrew “Rube” Foster
Andrew “Rube” Foster is considered the Father of Black Baseball.
He was one of the greatest pitchers most have never heard of. In the early 1900s, he dominated for teams such as the Cuban X-GiantsĀ of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Giants and the Chicago Leland Giants, which he also managed.
But “Rube” was more than a player. He was a visionary who recognized the need for African Americans to own and control their futures, so he took it upon himself to show them the way.
“At his core, he was all about improving the lives of African Americans through baseball,” Doug Foster Jr., the great-nephew of Andrew Foster, told me in our exclusive interview. “At the end of the day, he was all about the Black baseball player.”
And so Foster used baseball to build Black independence and wealth.
First, according to Fosterslegacy.com, he secured control of the Chicago Leland Giants away from its owner Frank Leland. Then he assembled his own roster, led the team to a 123-6 record and changed their name to the Chicago American Giants.
But he didn’t stop there.
He understood the true key to success was at the league level so he, along with other club owners, founded the Negro National League in 1920. It was one of the most successful leagues in Negro League history and ran until 1931, a year after Foster’s death.
“He [Rube] created a platform to showcase Black talent with a goal of integrating baseball,” Foster Jr. told me. “He showed the way, in a time that was much more challenging than it is now, how Black people could be owners in baseball.”
Bill Foster
One of those talents was his younger half-brother, Bill Foster.
Bill, according to Fosterslegacy.com, was one of the most dominant lefties in the league. While playing for the Chicago American Giants in 1926, he won 23 games in a row and 26 overall. That run included pitching complete game shutouts (1-0, 5-0) in a doubleheader against the Kansas City Monarchs that put the Giants in the World Series, which they ultimately won.
That’s an unheard-of Herculean feat, especially in today’s game of 100-pitch counts and multimillion-dollar arms.
Foster played for five Negro League teams including the Memphis Red Sox, Homestead Grays, Giants, Monarchs and Pittsburgh Crawfords. The Alcorn grad was eventually inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame (1996), SWAC Hall of Fame (1997) and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (2003).
Biz Mackey
Another star of the Negro Leagues was catcher James Raleigh Mackey, who most know as “Biz” Mackey.
Mackey played in the Negro Leagues from 1920 – 1947 for teams such as the Hillsdale Giants, Philadelphia Stars, Baltimore Black Sox, the Grays, Indianapolis ABCs, Baltimore/Washington Elite Giants and the Newark Eagles, the latter of which he coached twice as well.
While Josh Gibson is the most well-known Negro League catcher, some say Biz was better, only he was quieter about his talents.
“Biz knew who he was,” Ray Mackey, his great-nephew, told me in our interview. “The work he put in spoke for itself.”
That work was done both on the diamond and the clubhouse, where the switch-hitting catcher batted .328 while mentoring young stars like future Hall of Famer catcher, Roy Campanella, and others.
“Even Josh Gibson learned a great deal about catching from Biz,” Ray told me.
His accomplishments are extremely impressive, yet it’s the little-known stories that are most interesting and inspiring.
Before Major League Baseball traveled to Japan to build the game’s popularity there, Negro League teams and players such as Biz did it. Their skin color prevented their acceptance back home, so they played in countries like Mexico, Cuba and Japan.
According to Ray, Biz was playing in Japan in the 1920s when he was hit by a pitch during a game. He bowed to his opponent and the next thing he knew, the Emperor came down to the field to meet him as he was touched by Mackey’s show of respect.
A Black man being greeted by the Emperor of Japan in the 1920s was unfathomable back in America, where a Black man would never get the same audience with U.S. presidents.
These stories aren’t told in classrooms or on television but need to be.
Bringing the Past to Life
At one time, baseball was THE pastime of Black America.
From the first Juneteenth celebrations to the Negro Leagues of the 1900s, baseball was an integral part of Black America. It provided employment, financial opportunity and a for families to come together.
The connection between baseball and Black America was even captured in the comedy “Life” featuring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. In the film, baseball was the sport of choice for the men of Camp 8 and the prisoner “Can’t Get Right” is eventually discovered and signed to the Negro Leagues in the mid-1940s.
But decades later, baseball took a backseat to basketball and football for young Black men and that intimate connection was lost.
Now we will have the opportunity to learn about the lesser heralded, yet equally important, players of the Negro Leagues.
“The NFT offerings are a creative new way to help fans and collectors celebrate the greatness of these legendary players while supporting our mission,” said Negro League Baseball Museum President, Bob Kendrick.
This series will bring the stories and accomplishments of men like Rube, Bill and Biz to light and show how they established the foundation for players like Jackie Robinson to stand on.
“The Negro Leagues has a profound impact on the advancement of American civil rights and culture,” said Strat-O-Matic CEO Adam Richman. “These NFTs will preserve this legacy and celebrate these players, who need to have their stories and contributions to history preserved for future generations.”
That sentiment is furthered by Doug Foster Jr.
“My hope is that these things will reignite interest in baseball,” said Foster Jr.
And ignite interest in the lives of these history-making men.
