Kingsley Terrell Baseball Glove

Raceball: The Process of Race-Thinking in Baseball during the Post-Abolition Era

Andrew Gayed

 

Inspired by the analysis of two baseball artifacts, this project looked to discover the trends of racism and the process involved in the integration of baseball in America and Canada. The project, and the research that went into it was based around the artifacts that I analyzed, and micro-historical narratives. I found through the use of micro-historical narratives, that historians are able to dive deeper into larger issues as a result of the information provided by the local cases. For example, the baseball glove of Kingsley Terrell, and the championship bat of the Oberlin Resolutes inspired me to find out how these local cases of race-thinking in sports can relate to more famous cases, such as Jackie Robinson. The use of micro-historical narratives was imperative in the deepening of understanding of the general themes surrounding race-thinking in baseball in the post-abolition era.

 

The first object that I analyzed was a worn baseball glove, used by Kingsley Terrell. Terrell played for an all-black, semi-pro baseball team by the name of the Chatham All-Stars that was formed in 1933.[1] The squad was particularly successful, winning the city’s first provincial championship in 1934. This championship win was a significant one in the eyes of the population of the Kent County town. In an interview, Terrell describes how the town threw the All-Stars a large parade to celebrate their win. [2]This shows that the team not only had a fan-base, suggesting that many people found it appropriate in 1934 for an all-black baseball squad to be not only playing baseball, but to also be winning championships. This is a testament to the level of racial tolerance in Chatham during this period. Unfortunately, Terrell and his teammates were subject to racist actions and remarks from opposing fans and players. For example, Terrell described an instance where the All-Stars arrived to play a game in Midland, and found that the opposing fans had brought baby dolls that they had painted black, along with watermelons as a form of mockery.[3] The dolls and the fruit only disappeared after the All-Stars had handed the Midland team a 4-2 loss. Terrell says in the interview that after the people of Midland had realized that the coloured men from Chatham were respectable, they became very hospitable. They even had prepared a complimentary dinner for the team for beating the boys from Penetang that afternoon.[4] This account shows how the respect of some people was earned during that time period, and how to some, only the defeat of their hometown boys would be enough to warrant one’s respect and humanity.

The other artifact that I was able to examine, was a championship baseball bat with a plaque dedicated to a championship team called the Oberlin Resolutes. The discovery of the bat deepened my interest in the research surrounding the dynamics of race and sport in the post-abolition era. The bat and the inscription on it revealed anther athlete of colour worth investigating. Simpson C. Younger was a pitcher who played across the border in the United States in the town of Oberlin, Ohio. Unlike Kingsley Terrell, Simpson, or “Sim” for short, did not have any other teammates of colour. He was the lone coloured player on the only integrated team in the area, called the Oberlin Resolutes.[5] The team was very successful, winning the championship for the surrounding area in their inaugural season in 1868, as seen on the inscription on the championship bat. This win was celebrated much like the All-Stars had been, but instead of a parade, there was a poem written about the play of the Resolutes that secured them the championship. The poem describes the game in detail, but also adds a racial component that could not be ignored. The poem describes how the Resolutes had jumped out to an early lead, up 3 in the first inning, when a man in the crowd shouted a racial slur at Sim. In turn, the poem describes, Sim “swore like a Mexican” (another racial generalization), to respond to the ignorance of the spectator.[6] The poem carried on as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and suggests that Sim always played well when he was angry. This could insinuate that this sort of confrontation happened a good deal throughout Sim’s career as a pitcher, despite being an educated man from Oberlin College,[7] which would have made him a very respectable man at the time. Although the poem is indicative of a certain appreciation toward the efforts of the Resolutes despite having a coloured pitcher, it also carries with it some unsettling racist undertones that paint a picture for the reader about what a baseball game in 1868 if there was a person of colour playing. The case of Simpson C. Younger proves that athletes of colour were permitted to play sports at the time, but had very little opportunity, and were also subject to racial abuse, even while participating in their sports on a professional level.

The objects that I analyzed were examples of racism on a relatively local scale. However, they inspired me to expand on the general issue of racism and sport, and so I decided to look at moments in sports history that are seen today as turning points that led to drastic change in sport culture, and that affected how sports are played today. One of the most famous cases of an athlete of colour having a profound effect on the world of sport is that of Jackie Robinson. Robinson’s story is one of resistance against the current societal norms, and resilience against blatant violent acts that sought to keep him from playing among white men. The story of Robinson’s first spring training for professional baseball is followed closely by Chris Lamb in his book Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinson’s First Spring Training. Lamb starts the story as a minor-league team in Montreal signs him to a minor-league contract to play in 1945.[8] Lamb argues that by signing Robinson, integration was then forced onto both the game of baseball, and American society. However, Robinson proved very quickly that he was no slouch, and deserved to be taken seriously. He had been a participant on four NCAA caliber teams, and had become accustomed to the abuse and banter that seemed to follow him around at every game for each sport.[9] This shows that despite playing baseball more than a half-century after Sim C. Younger, athletes of colour were still being treated badly as they played. Despite Robinson’s ability to speak eloquently, and his respectful demeanor, many still saw him as an outsider, incapable of fitting in at the professional level. Even after integration had been made law in sports, the Boston Red Sox and Boston Braves would not accept Jackie Robinson to training camp for a tryout.[10] However, Jackie vowed to stay in Boston until he was given a tryout, as he believed that he was paving the way for future generations. Robinson explains the notion, saying that “even if they don’t accept us, we are at least making the way easier for those who follow. Some day, some Negro player or players will get a break. We want to help make that day a reality.”[11] This showed that Jackie Robinson was not only looking to better his own situation, but to better the future for future athletes of colour that had dreams of playing baseball after him. It was the session of spring training in segregated Florida where Lamb argues that Jackie Robinson made his most meaningful contributions to convincing all of baseball that integration was not just an option in the future, but that it was a reality to be lived right then and there.[12] Naturally, based on the societal view of integration at the time, the public opinion was divided, and Robinson was exposed to both sides of the opinion. This creates a significant link between the local stories of both Kingsley Terrell and Sim C. Younger, and Jackie Robinson as all three players and their organizations had a following of supporters and critics. Each of these groups had their own opinions that they shared publicly on the issue of coloured players playing with whites. In Robinson’s case, those who were in favor of the signing of a coloured player expressed statements such as The Daily Star that stated in a news article that this was “one of the most revolutionary moves since Abner Doubleday started this pastime.”[13] Others who looked to voice their disproval came from both around the league, and in the papers. An eighteen-year-old prospect said that he thought that “it [was] the worst thing that can happen to organized baseball.” He later added that it seemed like the league was doing this just to start trouble.[14] Later, in 1947, Jackie Robinson made his International League Baseball (what is now known as Major League Baseball) debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers, which was a significant step toward progress and inclusivity regardless of race.[15] Although Robinson’s story is seen time and time again in the history books, it is worth noting that there are themes present in his story, that can also be seen in the local stories in Chatham and in Oberlin. All three athletes were subject to racist remarks, and were forced to persevere if they were to continue playing, but were also met with support in each case in different ways, such as support in the media, public parades, or a simple poem commemorating the team’s effort. The links between the three different cases are significant, as they indicate the importance of micro-historical narratives, and their value in understanding larger issues and cases, such as Jackie Robinson and his introduction to professional baseball.

 

The analysis of the artifacts at the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society and the Oberlin College archives has revealed to me that micro-historical events or narratives can add a great deal of understanding to a greater concept. For example, the baseball glove, and championship bat provided the first steps in discovering an entire local narrative of baseball in Canada and the United States that is not recognized in popular historical accounts. These accounts are relevant in the sense that Kingsley Terrell and Simpson C. Younger experienced the same forms of abuse and racial stigma as many athletes of colour such as Jackie Robinson did. However, it also became clear through research that they also experienced a great deal of support from those who acknowledged that their ability to play the game of baseball should not be based on the colour of their skin.

Works Cited

Egan, James M. Base Ball on the Western Reserve: The Early Game in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, Year by Year and Town by Town, 1865-1900. Jefferson, NC: McFarland &, 2008.

Harding-Millburn, Wanda. The Chatham All-Stars: An Interview with KINGSLEY TERRELL. Printed Interview. From The Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society Archive. Folder “Kingsley Terrell”. Summer, 1985. Accessed October 19, 2018.

How the Resolutes Won the Junior Championship. Printed copy of a poem. From the Oberlin College Archives. Pysical Education Department Records 1800-n.d..Box 2; Folder: “Resolute baseball team, etc”.  Accessed November 2, 2018.

Lamb, Chris. Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinsons First Spring Training. Lincoln, NE: Univeresity of Nebraka Press, 2006.

[1] Harding-Millburn, Wanda. The Chatham All-Stars: An Interview with KINGSLEY TERRELL. Printed Interview. From The Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society Archive. Folder “Kingsley Terrell”. Summer, 1985. Accessed October 19, 2018, 1.

[2] Harding-Millburn, Wanda. The Chatham All-Stars: An Interview with KINGSLEY TERRELL. Summer, 1985, 2.

[3] Harding-Millburn, Wanda. The Chatham All-Stars: An Interview with KINGSLEY TERRELL. Summer, 1985, 2.

[4] Harding-Millburn, Wanda. The Chatham All-Stars: An Interview with KINGSLEY TERRELL. Summer, 1985, 2.

[5] Egan, James M. Base Ball on the Western Reserve: The Early Game in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, Year by Year and Town by Town, 1865-1900. Jefferson, NC: McFarland &, 2008, 27.

[6] How the Resolutes Won the Junior Championship. Printed copy of a poem. From the Oberlin College Archives. Pysical Education Department Records 1800-n.d..Box 2; Folder: “Resolute baseball team, etc”.  Accessed November 2, 2018, 1.

[7] Egan, James M. Base Ball on the Western Reserve: The Early Game in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, Year by Year and Town by Town, 1865-1900. 2008, 27.

[8] Lamb, Chris. Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinsons First Spring Training. Lincoln, NE: Univeresity of Nebraka Press, 2006, 8.

[9] Lamb, Chris. Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinsons First Spring Training. 2006, 8.

[10] Lamb, Chris. Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinsons First Spring Training. 2006, 36.

[11] Lamb, Chris. Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinsons First Spring Training. 2006, 36.

[12] Lamb, Chris. Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinsons First Spring Training. 2006, 44.

[13] Lamb, Chris. Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinsons First Spring Training. 2006, 56.

[14] Lamb, Chris. Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinsons First Spring Training. 2006, 45.

[15] Lamb, Chris. Blackout: The Untold Story of Jackie Robinsons First Spring Training. 2006, 43.