Carrying Jackie's Torch: The Players Who Integrated Baseball--and America

by Steve Jacobson

The real and painful struggles of the black players who followed Jackie Robinson into major and minor league baseball from 1947 through 1968 are chronicled in this compelling volume. Players share their personal and often heart-wrenching stories of intense racism, both on and off the field, mixed with a sometimes begrudged appreciation for their tremendous talents. Stories include incidents of white players who gave up promising careers in baseball because they wouldn’t play with a black teammate, the Georgia law that forbade a black player from dressing in the same clubhouse as the white players, the quotas for the number of blacks on a team, and how salary negotiations without agents or free agency were akin to a plantation system for both black and white players. The 20 players profiled include Ernie Banks, Alvin Jackson, Charlie Murray, Chuck Harmon, Frank Robinson, Bob Gibson, Hank Aaron, Curt Flood, Lou Brock, and Bob Watson.

Genres: Baseball, History, Sports

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I skimmed a bit of this book in research for my last book, but went back to it and enjoyed it immensely. Jacobson's look at the integration of baseball outside the massive shadow of Jackie Robinson is that rarest of books-- one that is both important and very readable. My favorite chapter might have been the one on umpire Emmett Ashford, who was the first black umpire in the major leagues. Jackie certainly deserves the credit and glory that come his way, but so do the other pioneers who Jacobson chronicles. A worthy read for sure.

[Tristan Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very insightful book that provides multiple perspectives from the amazing players that came after Jackie Robinson. Learning more about the mistreatment of african Americans in the mid 20th century and how baseball helped the civil rights movement is fascinating. Learning more just how vital Jackie Robinson was to not just baseball but to America is amazing to read about.

[Mattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While most everyone is familiar with Jackie Robinson, the racial integration of baseball involved a whole lot more men (and women). This book is the story of a bunch of those players (and one umpire). Really interesting look into the lives of the players who followed Jackie into MLB. Broken up into short chapters on each person, its an easy read (even if its hard to cope with the fact of just how long and deep racism's roots have been in the US). My only knock is that each chapter, because of the pervasiveness of the deplorable Jim Crow conditiions, reads a lot like each other chapter. On the one hand, this really drives home the situation and I appreciate that. On the other hand, after a few chapters I could easily imagine those similarities and wished that there had been more detail on the different way the same basic story played out for these men, their families and teammates.

The above comments, however, are picky and I do recommend this book for anyone interested in baseball or, more generally, 20th century American History and culture. These stories are important and these players dese4rve to have their stories heard.

[David Lucander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very important book that documents the experiences of African American baseball players who followed Jackie Robinson's footsteps into the majors. Jacobson is a lifelong sports writer, and he brings a nice touch of insider knowledge into these chapter long mini-biographies. There's a lot in here about growing up under Jim Crow, but the most poignant sections were about how these guys played integrated ball in the minors and the troubles they faced in those small towns as they followed their dreams.

[Aldafan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great baseball book about the players/umps that followed Jackie Robinson. Although his name is the one we remember, so many others suffered terrible discrimination. Some were players I cheered for greatly, having no clue as to what they were going through off the field.