Satchel Paige. Josh Gibson. Jackie Robinson. These all-star baseball players conjure up a golden age of the game, as well as a time in America when the world was divided between white and Black. Most of us know the story of Robinson breaking the color barrier to become the first Black major league player, but the history leading up to that dramatic moment is a powerful story of athletic prowess, business development, and cultural change.
A Pastime of Their Own: The Story of Negro League Baseball is your chance to delve into this fascinating history. Taught by Professor Louis Moore of Grand Valley State University, these 12 scintillating lectures take you onto the field, through the locker rooms, and into the smoky back rooms of the business world in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Kansas City, and other great American cities.
Although little is known about the game before the Civil War, the story of Black baseball players, teams, leagues, and businesspeople mirrors the social history of America from the 1850s through World War II. From the 19th-century "gentleman's agreement" that segregated baseball into white and Black teams to the creation of the "Negro Leagues" to the 20th-century struggles to break the color barrier, this course gives you one of the greatest sports histories ever recorded.
