Segregation in baseball officially came to an end in 1946, when the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson to play with their farm club. As far as most people could remember, the sport had always been divided by a color line: white ball players belonged to organized baseball, while African Americans could play only in the Negro Leagues. Yet during the mid-nineteenth century, many talented African-Americans excelled within the ranks of amateur baseball, a phenomenon that was quickly becoming the nation's favorite pastime.

In Baseball and the Color Line, you'll meet figures such as Bud Fowler, an athlete who played on twenty teams in thirteen leagues, and was considered one of the finest baseball players of the nineteenth century. You'll marvel at the exploits of Fleet Walker, an exceptional catcher who often led his league in batting. - from Amzon