Philadelphia Baseball History

Those who have seen Ken Burns' documentary, Baseball, are familiar with the Philadelphia Pythians. Led by prominent educators Octavius Catto and Jacobs White,  the Pythians were a team of African-American players who pushed for greater racial equality. They frequently spoke about civil rights with the other African-American teams they played when socializing after the game. In 1867, the Pythians first applied for entrance in the Pennsylvania Association of Base Ball Players, but were asked to withdraw their request because of race. They went on to apply for membership in the National Association of Base Ball Players.  They were denied entrance based on the shameful view that by keeping the races separate, there could be no hard feelings. The Pythians faded after their star shortstop, Catto, was murdered on election day by an Irish Democrat who wanted to prevent Catto from encouraging more African-Americans to go to the polls and vote for the more progressive Republican Part...

William J. Kovatch, Jr.             In 1947, Jackie Robinson burst on the scene, breaking the color barrier that plagued the major leagues for seventy years.   Adept with the bat and quick on the base path, Robinson helped make the Dodgers perennial contenders and eventually World Champions in 1955.             Robinson’s accomplishments were made possible by Dodger General Manager Branch Rickey, one of the game’s greatest innovators.   Through Robinson, Rickey was exorcizing his own demons.   As the manager of the Ohio Wesleyan University baseball team in the early twentieth century, Rickey’s star catcher was Charles Thomas, the only black player on the team.   Rickey watched as Thomas encountered racism across the Midwest, and was refused lodging during the team’s road trips.   The memory of the mistreatment Thomas suffered haunted Rickey f...