Attitudes and Perceptions

"In Savannah, Georgia, I'd take time for kids. We'd sign autographs, give them balls. I'll never forget, there was this one youngster that came in and asked for an autograph. I wrote his name out, said best wishes, signed my name. A few nights later, I found out the kid's the son of a police officer. The officer came up to me and said, 'You know, I'll never forget you for what you did for my kid. You're human. You're nice people.' To me, that was a tremendous feeling. I think that was an influence that was happening a lot, not only with myself but with other players."
(Don Buford cited in Adelson, 1999, p. 4, in reference to minor leagues)

Clowns

The clowns in the Negro Leagues strengthened black stereotypes and slowed the movement toward integration.
(NLBM Collection)

"They had special guys for that, people who called themselves clowns. You ask one of the ballplayers to go out and do something like that, he'd have a fit."
- Andrew Porter, Indianapolis Clowns
(NLBM Collection)

They wore grass skirts, clown outfits, painted their faces, played barefoot to the beat of drums.
(NLBM Collection)

Their acts strengthened the black stereotypes and were frowned upon by league management and the black press.
(NLBM Collection)

One black newspaper wrote, "The team has been capitalizing on slapstick comedy and the kind of nonsense which many white people like to believe is typical and characteristic of all Negroes."
(NLBM Collection)

Players themselves drew sharp distinction between the comedians on clown teams and the ballplayers who played the game.
(NLBM Collection)

WWII

"They seem to want our boys for the wearing worries of war, but they don't want them sharing the more peaceful pursuits of major league baseball."
- Mabray (Doc) Kountze, Associated Negro Press
(NLBM Collection)

Nothing came as close to illustrating the absurdity of the color barrier like World War II. During the war more than 50 Negro League players served their country in the armed forces.
(NLBM Collection)

World War II had a profound effect on the Negro Leagues. Younger players were drafted, making way for others to take up the bat in their absence. Defense plant jobs with higher wages improved the economic condition of blacks, leaving more money for activities such as baseball games.
(NLBM Collection)