Shadow Ball Edition
In the 1930 and 1940s, the Negro Baseball Leagues flourished as a venue for talented athletes who were barred by color bans from participating in Major League Baseball. They developed their own style of play and audience participation/entertainment was inherent in everything they did. As such, the players would often conduct an elaborate exhibition staple that thrilled the crowd before the start of the actual games. This was ‘Shadow Ball’ in which they would pretend to pitch, hit, field and throw in the infield without an actual ball being used. Even the umpires would join in to stage true masterpieces of performance that delighted the crowd.