It is no surprise that the first time a black man played with a white baseball team, also known as the great experiment, it was heavily covered in the press, because of the fact it was the first time a black man participated in the most popular pastime in America, previously deemed a sport for whites only. Jackie Robinson 's participation in the sport caught the attention of American 's everywhere, and drew large crowds to the stadiums, with fans curious to see how a black man playing on a white team would play out, due to the fact it went against the previous belief held by the country that blacks and whites shall not mix. Organized baseball and mainstream press gouged integration as a success because a black man was now playing among whites,
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In many white peoples minds, African American 's would have to gradually wait for their rights to come and for integration to progress, one of the reasons being that they did not have respect for or engage in correct conduct presented by Organized Baseball. Sporting News reports, "last year, a Negro report on Negro baseball admitted that Negro players had …show more content…
It is clear through these newspaper articles that mainstream press often presented the idea that blacks had to learn and accept the rules of the game before they should be allowed to partake in the sport. It was not only mainstream white press that encouraged blacks to clean up their acts, black press also encouraged its readers to engage in proper behavior in order to not "provoke rage, disdain, or anxiety of whites" (Zeiler, 85). New York Amsterdamn News, a major New York City black newspaper, told readers to have fun at the games in a clean, healthy manner, and not engage in reckless acts such as drinking in the stands or making loud, uncouth jokes (86). The newspaper also discouraged use of profanity while at the ballgame and fanatic dancing, warning that these fans were giving African Americans everywhere a bad name. Black press encouraged this behavior as they believed all blacks should do their part and support Robinson, the man who had already done so much for all of them and their rights. Black people were also encouraged to behave so they could show whites and onlookers that they are respectable human
In many white peoples minds, African American 's would have to gradually wait for their rights to come and for integration to progress, one of the reasons being that they did not have respect for or engage in correct conduct presented by Organized Baseball. Sporting News reports, "last year, a Negro report on Negro baseball admitted that Negro players had …show more content…
It is clear through these newspaper articles that mainstream press often presented the idea that blacks had to learn and accept the rules of the game before they should be allowed to partake in the sport. It was not only mainstream white press that encouraged blacks to clean up their acts, black press also encouraged its readers to engage in proper behavior in order to not "provoke rage, disdain, or anxiety of whites" (Zeiler, 85). New York Amsterdamn News, a major New York City black newspaper, told readers to have fun at the games in a clean, healthy manner, and not engage in reckless acts such as drinking in the stands or making loud, uncouth jokes (86). The newspaper also discouraged use of profanity while at the ballgame and fanatic dancing, warning that these fans were giving African Americans everywhere a bad name. Black press encouraged this behavior as they believed all blacks should do their part and support Robinson, the man who had already done so much for all of them and their rights. Black people were also encouraged to behave so they could show whites and onlookers that they are respectable human