Sport often reflects wider society as it moves through the decades. Baseball is so closely linked to the history of different ethnic groups in America that it encapsulates and holds a mirror up to U.S. society. Irish and German immigrants adopted baseball in the mid- to late-19th century; Jackie Robinson defined the African-American experience and success from 1947; and the integration of Latin and Asian players has flourished since the 1960s.
Late-19th Century
After overtaking cricket as the most popular sporting pastime in the 1850s, baseball began to reflect "the very symbol, the outward and visible expression of all the drive and push and struggle of the raging, tearing, booming nineteenth century," according to Mark Twain in J.P. Rossi's article "Food for Thought: Baseball and American History." It was during the 1870s, when baseball was being adopted by Irish and German immigrants, that the game "started to absorb the first group of outsiders who would change baseball socially and culturally." Rossi also writes that during the 1880s, "62 percent of the players in the National League were of Irish or German descent."
Segregation
Between the start of the 20th century and the end of World War II, organized baseball was closed to black Americans. No scouting, no opportunity, but at the same time, "No stated policy or written rule existed that barred blacks from participating in Organized Baseball," according to G. Edward White in "Creating the National Pastime: Baseball Transforms Itself, 1903-1953." The definition of "blacks" is often misunderstood. This segregation was not reserved for African-Americans. White also writes, "Players with black skin were barred from baseball, whether they were African Americans, Cubans, or Latin Americans."
Jackie Robinson
The beginning of the end of segregation started when Jackie Robinson was selected to play for the L.A. Dodgers in 1947. The participation of one man, Robinson, in one sport, baseball, lit a torch, in the words of ESPN.com writer Larry Schwartz, and passed it on to several generations of African-American athletes. "While the Brooklyn Dodgers infielder didn't make a nation color blind," Schwartz said, "he at least made it more color friendly."
Recent History
During a 2009 study of the racial and gender participation in all areas of baseball, the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport discovered the sport was not only representative but also praiseworthy for its cultural and ethnic diversity over the past 10 years. According to CBS News, "On the 62nd anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's color barrier, the Major Leagues scored an 'A' for its racial hiring practices."
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