BLACK BASEBALL, BLACK BUSINESS

BLACK BASEBALL, BLACK BUSINESS    ROBERTA J. NEWMAN
Posted:  Dec. 16, 2014

Roberta J. Newman and Joel Nathan Rosen have written an authoritative social history of the Negro Leagues. This book examines how the relationship between black baseball and black businesses functioned, particularly in urban areas with significant African American populations--Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Newark, New York, Philadelphia, and more. Inextricably bound together by circumstance, these sports and business alliances faced destruction and upheaval.

Once Jackie Robinson and a select handful of black baseball's elite gained acceptance in Major League Baseball and financial stability in the mainstream economy, shock waves traveled throughout the black business world. Though the economic impact on Negro League baseball is perhaps obvious due to its demise, the impact on other black-owned businesses and on segregated neighborhoods is often undervalued if not outright ignored in current accounts. There have been many books written on great individual players who played in the Negro Leagues and/or integrated the Major Leagues. But Newman and Rosen move beyond hagiography to analyze what happens when a community has its economic footing undermined while simultaneously being called upon to celebrate a larger social progress. In this regard, "Black Baseball, Black Business" moves beyond the diamond to explore baseball's desegregation narrative in a critical and wide ranging fashion. 

Hubby's Review:

This is a book that takes a look at the businesses that were owned by African Americans, during the time that Jackie Robinson, signed with the Dodgers. It goes into detail how once he signed and others players began to follow that the Black Baseball Leagues were going to fold. What this meant was that the restaurants, hotels, clothing stories, car dealers and other Black Owned businesses that were supported by the Black Baseball Teams were going to close down and effect the neighbors that these businesses were in. their demise were was more than just losing baseball teams, but also the branches that came out from the money from the players and the team. This book was the first book that I read that explored that part of baseball that I did not know about. This is all part of not only the history of baseball but also the history of America. I very good book, with a lot of information. I got this book from net galley.