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“Black Baseball, Black Business”

BlackBaseball“Desegregation in baseball was hard on everybody.” -Monte Irvin, Hall of Famer

An extraordinary history of the Negro Leagues and the economic disruptions of desegregating a sport

Roberta Newman and Joel Nathan Rosen examine how the relationship between black baseball and black businesses functioned, particularly in urban areas with significant African American populations. 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. We know about the great individual players who played in the Negro Leagues and integrated the Major Leagues. But what happens when a community has its economic footing undermined while simultaneously being called upon to celebrate a larger social progress?

A fascinating question. Join us on Thursday, February 25 to learn the answer and much more. RSVP required to attend.

Autographed and personalized copies of “Black Baseball, Black Business” will be available for purchase. The authors will sign only books purchased in the Clubhouse.

Roberta Newman is master professor in the Department of Liberal Studies at NYU. Her work has appeared in the journals “Cooperstown Symposium” and “NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture.”

Joel Nathan Rosen is associate professor of sociology at Moravian College. He is coeditor of “A Locker Room of Her Own: Celebrity, Sexuality, and Female Athletes” and “Fame to Infamy: Race, Sport, and the Fall from Grace.”











When: Thu., Feb. 25, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Where: Bergino Baseball Clubhouse
67 E. 11th St.

Price: Free
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BlackBaseball“Desegregation in baseball was hard on everybody.” -Monte Irvin, Hall of Famer

An extraordinary history of the Negro Leagues and the economic disruptions of desegregating a sport

Roberta Newman and Joel Nathan Rosen examine how the relationship between black baseball and black businesses functioned, particularly in urban areas with significant African American populations. 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. We know about the great individual players who played in the Negro Leagues and integrated the Major Leagues. But what happens when a community has its economic footing undermined while simultaneously being called upon to celebrate a larger social progress?

A fascinating question. Join us on Thursday, February 25 to learn the answer and much more. RSVP required to attend.

Autographed and personalized copies of “Black Baseball, Black Business” will be available for purchase. The authors will sign only books purchased in the Clubhouse.

Roberta Newman is master professor in the Department of Liberal Studies at NYU. Her work has appeared in the journals “Cooperstown Symposium” and “NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture.”

Joel Nathan Rosen is associate professor of sociology at Moravian College. He is coeditor of “A Locker Room of Her Own: Celebrity, Sexuality, and Female Athletes” and “Fame to Infamy: Race, Sport, and the Fall from Grace.”

Buy tickets/get more info now