The best man plays: major league baseball and the black athlete, 1901-2002

It has been said that sport is the great leveler, that on the playing field everyone is of equal status. Through the years, however, few institutions have better embodied America's ideals and prejudices than baseball. Jackie Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers marked the first time an African American participated in a major league contest, and his abilities verified what many had believed all along - that African Americans could compete with white players and excel. The experiences and contributions of six African American baseball players from the 1900s to the present day are presented in this work. The players are Andrew Rube Foster, perhaps the most important figure in black baseball during the first quarter of the 20th century; Satchel Paige, whose talent quickly became known in organized baseball and was built into a near mythical figure by an enchanted press; Larry Doby, who took the field with the Cleveland Indians three months after Jackie Robinson appeared with the Dodgers; Curt Flood, less remembered for the exceptional player he was and more known for challenging baseball's reserve clause; Dave Parker, the first black player to make a million dollars a year but also a prominent witness to the Pittsburgh drug trial; and Barry Bonds, known for his clashes with fans and the media but most recently revered for his record-breaking 73 home runs in 2001.