Earlier in the week, Major League Baseball made an announcement that the Negro Leagues would be promoted to the status of “major league.” While this announcement was met with approval by many, some expressed dismay. These reasonings were vast, and some were founded upon reasonable concerns while many were simply borne seemingly of some buried racial contempt. Either way, there was a lingering thought which I myself couldn’t shake, and which I plan to outline here.
Firstly, make no mistake: Some of those who played in the Negro Leagues were top-tier baseball players who were among the greatest of all-time; many could’ve surely held their own — and some even dominate — the all-white enterprise that was Major League Baseball.