Introduction: A Mighty Congregation

A Mighty Congregation
2 min readSep 28, 2020
1916 Chicago American Giants, Andrew “Rube” Foster center

Prior to April 15, 1947, black baseball players in the United States were unofficially barred from playing professionally by team owners and then commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis. This “gentlemen’s agreement” existed as a prohibition on black players entering the major leagues. On February 13, 1920, Andrew “Rube” Foster, the pitcher/manager for the Chicago American Giants, gathered team owners from all over the mid-west for a meeting to discuss the formation of a new league. Over the course of two days, The Negro National Leagues would be formed.

Indianapolis ABCs, Oscar Charleston, bottom row, second from left.

On Sundays, stadiums hosted mighty congregations, players like Oscar Charleston, Turkey Stearnes, and James “Cool Papa” Bell, would take the field to amaze. My hope here is to share some of these incredible pieces of history with you. You can read what I write as a deep dive into the sport itself, American history, or black baseball in the context of a white country that didn’t want it. I will be learning a lot through this process as well, that’s a big part of why I am doing it, to explore this world, to learn more about the players who are and aren’t enshrined in Cooperstown, and to tell their stories. I am not a stat-head, but I will do my best to break all of those numbers down, I am a sentimental baseball fan in the age of analytics and the shift. I cannot wait to share with you what I learn about this world, from the guy who helped Satchel Paige look so good, to a two-way player named Ted who could catch strikes as well as throw them.

Andrew “Rube” Foster 1909

For more information and contact, follow me on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/satch_was_here

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A Mighty Congregation

A celebration of the Negro Leagues and the centennial of their creation.