Under Jackie's Shadow: Voices of Black Minor Leaguers Baseball Left Behind

by Mitchell Nathanson

The stories of thirteen Black Minor League baseball players during the post–Jackie Robinson era, from the 1960s to the mid-1970s, who were figuratively and literally left behind even as both baseball and the country claimed a newfound racial progressiveness.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

215 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2024

About the author

Mitch Nathanson is a Professor of Law at Villanova University and the author of numerous books and articles on baseball, the law and society. He is a two-time winner of the McFarland-SABR Award, which is presented in recognition of the best historical or biographical baseball articles of the year. His biography of the mercurial slugger Dick Allen: "God Almighty Hisself: The Life and Legacy of Dick Allen," was a finalist for the 2017 Seymour Medal. His current book, BOUTON: The Life of a Baseball Original," explores the life of a man who won all of 62 games but who changed professional sports in ways 300-game winners never could. To which Jim Bouton's Seattle Pilot teammate, Jim Gosger, would most likely say, "Yeah surrre."

Reviews

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Jackie Robinson became the first Black player in the major leagues, it rightly created a path to the highest level of baseball for all. But the odds for any professional baseball player to make it to “the show” are slim. This book by Mitchell Nathanson reveals stories about Black players who either didn’t reach that lofty status or if they did, it was only for that proverbial cup of coffee.

Something that struck me as more shocking than the stories of racism and lack of opportunities for Black players is how many of the men who told Nathanson their story were related to Black men who did succeed. There was Ron Allen, brother of former Phillies and White Sox star Dick Allen. Ron felt that he was never given a fair chance with the Phillies because Dick (whom the Phillies always called “Richie”) left them with a bad feeling about anyone named Allen.

Then there was Will Aaron, cousin of the legendary Hank Aaron. When Will was struggling to move up in the Baltimore Orioles’ organization during the early 1970’s, he decided to study the finer points of the game closely, including why his cousin became the home run king. However he also discovered a concept Will Aaron called “position displacement” which systematically excluded Black players from certain positions like catcher and placed them in the outfield.

There are many recollections of segregation in the southern cities that had minor league teams, coaches who were clearly prejudiced, and the broken promises after the young player passed up college scholarships to play professional baseball. Most of these stories will leave the reader sad, angry or both. But there was one more unusual aspect in the book: most of these men held no grudge toward the game and were satisfied that they tried their best. I found that to be a surprising aspect as given what they went through, one would believe they would have hard feelings toward the game they loved but didn’t love them back. Overall, a very good book as told by the who experienced this injustice.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a review copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

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[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This oral history book features the experiences of 13 Black Minor League baseball players who played after Jackie Robinson integrated the major leagues in 1947. They talk a bit about their upbringing, how they got into baseball as a youth, and then their experiences with getting signed and playing in each city they were assigned to.

Each player had stories of racism, being ignored by racist managers, coaches, and teams bypassing them for less talented players, racist fans, and segregation. The stories are heartbreaking, and I can't imagine what that was like to go through. This is definitely a tough read, and I found myself taking breaks in between stories because the treatment these gentlemen received is very upsetting. This is a very important book, though, and I would recommend it to baseball fans who love the history of the game.

My thanks to the University of Nebraska Press, author Mitchell Nathan's, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: Thank you to NetGalley, University of Nebraska Press, and Mitchell Nathanson for the advanced reader copy of the book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

Whenever I heard talk of baseball’s pension plan, I always wondered why the multi-millionaire headline-grabbing players need a pension. They don’t. Those who do need a pension are the ones who don’t make it to the big leagues or do spend a small amount of time in “the Show,” but have given a good portion of their young lives to the game of baseball. Many of the men in this book deserve that as well.

When Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier, that didn’t make racial prejudice go away. It didn’t even level the playing field for black athletes. In Under Jackie’s Shadow, author Mitchell Nathanson interviews black minor league baseball players of the 1950s through 1970s about their experiences playing in the minor leagues. For many of them, especially those that played in the south, there was a great disparity as to how they were treated versus their white counterparts.

Several of the interviewees came from sheltered backgrounds where they didn’t experience as much racism as others had. It was a shock to them to go to Florida and suddenly hear the word “ni–er” tossed at them and learn that restaurants wouldn’t serve them. Florida does seem to be the biggest problem in that regard. Between spring training and the minor leagues there, many of the players detail the segregation and outright hostility they faced there.

To read my full review, please go to Under Jackie’s Shadow: Voices of Black Minor Leaguers Baseball Left Behind by Mitchell Nathanson

[Mr. Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can also see this review, along with others I have written, at my blog, Mr. Book's Book Reviews.

Thank you University of Nebraska Press for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Mr. Book just finished Under Jackie’s Shadow: Voices of Black Minor Leaguers Baseball Left Behind, by Mitchell Nathanson.

This book is a oral history of black minor leaguers. Almost all of them never played in the majors and the few that did only got a cup of coffee. Almost all of them debuted in the minors in the 1960s, but two of three did in the early 1970s.

They all had several other things in common. They were all black and their stories show they were all victims of, and subjected to, horrible racism. Some of them may have been good enough for a career somewhere in the majors, even if it wasn’t stardom. They may have been one or two could have become a star. But, none of them got the chance to fully show what they were capable of.

If anyone is thinking that a book of old men telling their stories about the days in which they were minor league baseball players, none of which you ever would have heard of—even the cousin of one of baseball’s all-time greats—wouldn’t be a good book, this proves you wrong.

I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

Mr. Book originally finished reading this on July 7, 2024.

Go to Mr. Book’s Book Reviews homepage

[Daniel Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

At a baseball ceremony 25 years after Jackie Robinson's start in MLB, it was announced that baseball was fully integrated and life could move on. Jackie was reluctant to even attend, but did so even though he wasn't happy that there were no blacks in coaching, management or beyond. He sadly died nine days later.

The stories in this book are true accounts from black minor leaguers with their stories from the mid 60's through parts of the 70's and what they encountered as black players: having to enter restaurants through the back doors, sleeping on the buses while their teammates were able to go to a white hotels, going to the black parts of town for restaurants or hotels, hearing a radio ad in Memphis recruiting KKK members, getting bypassed for MLB promotions by lesser white players and on and on. There were just so many stories in here that are well worth listening to. Some are hard to believe - like how a star white player, when asked about why the blacks were treated the way they are, said "that's just the way it is." Or a coach who blatantly told one of these players how he doesn't even like blacks. Wow.

Most of the players in here were amazingly not bitter about their baseball experiences. They moved on since racism was common and had good and fulfilling lives away from baseball. Definitely inspiring.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories that were shared in this collection are so important to the history of baseball. They draw attention to the pitfalls and gaps within history which has been shielded away by the minor leagues and with men who have not had a voice to share their story. Each of the stories feel as though they are spoken from a different individual, which shows the skill and dedication by the author to be as truthful to the emotion and narrative they were trying to tell. One thing noticed was the shift of excitement and hopefulness when first being drafted, to often feeling burnt out and apathetic towards the game as a whole.

The way the author included other players that were active at the time, as well as fellow teammates, offered a reminder that these events happened in a not so distant time and highlighted the work that still needs to be addressed in the current times. I feel as though I will be looking at the modern game with a different view, and I am hopeful to see more changes in my lifetime.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of this one. It represents first-person narratives as told by black minor-league baseball players who experienced significant discrimination and prejudice from managers, coaches, scouting directors, fans, restaurant and hotel owners, and even other players.

Modern baseball mythology dictates that professional baseball solved its racism problem in 1947 when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. These heartbreaking stories show that overt, explicit racism continued in baseball for decades.

[Patten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under Jackie's Shadow was a hard book to read, and I don't mean that in a way that it was poorly written or a bad book or anything like that. No, I mean the subject matter was just tough to read. For a very short book, it took a long time to complete because you just have to take breaks from it. The anger in these interviews almost radiates from each page and Mitchell Nathanson has done a remarkable job of pulling them together.

In the tradition of The Glory of Their Times by Lawrence Ritter, Nathanson's book is a collection of interviews. Unlike The Glory of Their Times which was mostly a fun read, Under Jackie's Shadow is a collection of interviews from various black players who still found themselves unable to succeed in baseball after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. The players explain how they had to be twice as good, recall the stories of having to stay in different hotels and eat at different restaurants or use different doors from their teammates.

Again, it's not an easy read. It's a worthwhile book, but it takes a toll.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly important collection of stories that truly need to be heard. As hard and heavy as they are to read, it is necessary in order to advance the game.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Brendan Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars.

This was a really well-done oral history that explores the careers of 13 Black minor league baseball players in a post Jackie Robinson MLB and the larger issue of a lack of Black baseball players in the modern game.