The Forgotten Story Of The Us Soldiers Who Integrated Baseball Before Jackie Robinson

Far from nan diamonds of America, a little-known section of nan travel toward integrating shot was taking spot successful war-ravaged Europe conscionable complete 80 years ago.

It took spot astatine a tourney held to entertain soldiers successful nan months aft nan extremity of nan 2nd world war. The squad who won nan GI World Series successful September 1945 were dissimilar immoderate of nan different competitors: they had an integrated roster, including 2 stars from nan Negro Leagues: Willard Brown and Leon Day.

“They are 2 legendary players who person not gotten their conscionable due,” says Bob Kendrick, president of nan Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. “People conscionable don’t cognize astir nan squad that won a GI championship.”

Jackie Robinson – who besides served successful azygous during nan 2nd world warfare – is justly hailed for breaking nan colour barrier successful Major League Baseball, pinch nan Brooklyn Dodgers successful 1947. But little than 2 years earlier, successful a melodramatic setting, Brown and Day had established their ain portion of history.

Sports historiographer John Rosengren notes that respective games of nan GI World Series took spot successful a Nuremberg stadium wherever Adolf Hitler had erstwhile held antisemitic rallies.

“The symbolism is truthful powerful,” Rosengren says. “Here you person nan nationalist pastime of nan world’s astir salient democracy, being played retired successful nan stadium wherever Hitler espoused his vitriolic propaganda.”

This communicative has resurfaced connected its 80th anniversary. In nan summer, labour historiographer Mike Elk and Peter Dreier, an emeritus authorities professor astatine Occidental College, discussed nan GI World Series astatine baseball’s Hall of Fame.

“This is simply a communicative we request to attraction on,” Elk, who is planning a book connected nan series, says. “Professional shot players who played successful nan subject were allowed to person an integrated crippled that they could not person successful nan States. It says thing powerful.”

In Allied-controlled Europe, nan GI teams that suited up for nan tourney were drawn from various branches of nan subject – including nan feared Red Circlers, representing nan 71st Infantry Division of George S Patton’s Third Army. The Red Circlers were stocked pinch talent, headlined by 2 awesome leaguers, Harry Walker of nan St Louis Cardinals and pitcher Ewell Blackwell of nan Cincinnati Reds.

Sports historiographer Robert Weintraub – writer of The Victory Season: The End of World War II and nan Birth of Baseball’s Golden Age – says Walker was a US Army scout successful Europe. Driving a Jeep and equipped pinch a instrumentality gun, he navigated his measurement done force lines. In nan war’s aftermath, nan subject asked him to create a tourney for nan troops.

“He’s nan 1 they move to: ‘You’re a master shot player, tin you shape nan games, make it immoderate type of pickup baseball,’” Weintraub says. “He went nan other mile.”

However, virtually each of nan teams were white-only. Elk doesn’t spot this arsenic an accident, calling Walker 1 “of nan worst ‘good aged boys’ of nan era … He tried to lead a walkout against Jackie Robinson” erstwhile nan second collapsed nan colour barrier.

The sole integrated squad successful nan GI World Series represented subject unit stationed successful nan Oise River region of France. The man successful complaint of this squad was Sam Nahem, a Jewish servicemember from Brooklyn pinch Syrian ancestry. Nahem brought major-league pitching acquisition – and far-left governmental leanings.

“He was a communist – I’m 90% sure, I can’t opportunity definitively,” Dreier says. “He was astir apt nan only communist who ever played Major League Baseball.” And, he adds, “he was anti-racist astatine a clip erstwhile it was not that fashionable to beryllium an anti-racist.”

Dreier and Elk opportunity nan push to merge nan fields came from Black civilian authorities activists and sportswriters, aided by achromatic friends successful nan communist press. Elk notes that nan warfare prompted a “Double V” run among Black activists – triumph complete totalitarianism abroad, and complete racism astatine home.

Because of Nahem’s acquisition successful nan majors, he was entrusted pinch building nan Oise team. In doing so, he defied major-league precedent – and besides subject precedent; nan equipped forces would merge moreover later than pro baseball, successful 1948.

Brown and Day, who some went connected to beryllium inducted into nan National Baseball Hall of Fame, had built awesome careers successful nan Negro Leagues. Brown’s powerfulness hitting earned him nan nickname “Home Run Brown”, while Day was a standout connected nan mound who could besides play each position isolated from catcher. Although Day ne'er played successful nan majors, Brown did truthful for nan St Louis Browns. Befitting his estimation arsenic a powerfulness hitter, he became nan first Black subordinate to deed a location tally successful nan American League.

“Leon Day was 1 of nan awesome two-way stars of nan Negro Leagues,” Kendrick says. “He was a tremendous outfielder pinch a tremendous arm, a afloat repertoire of pitches, and besides could deed for average.” Kendrick adds that Brown sewage his nickname from chap Negro Leagues prima Josh Gibson: “If Josh Gibson nicknames you ‘Home Run’, you’ve astir apt sewage immoderate power. Willard Brown was a five-tool phenom.”

During nan war, Day parented an amphibious proviso conveyance connected nan beaches of Normandy successful nan still-dangerous week aft D-day, while Brown served arsenic an engineer.

In nan finals of nan GI World Series, it was Oise versus nan Red Circlers. Day sounded Oise to a triumph successful Game 2, while successful nan decisive 5th game, Nahem made a bold telephone that proved decisive. He started connected nan mound, but struggled early, and took himself retired successful favour of a teammate who unopen down nan Red Circlers for nan victory. An integrated ballclub proved that it could not only play together, but triumph together.

“It’s apt they don’t triumph that title without Leon Day and Willard Brown,” Kendrick says.

Rosengren notes that Hitler “wanted to destruct nan Jews and crush anyone other who was opposed to him … On that time [Game 5 of nan GI World Series], it seemed populist replaced that dictator, pinch a awesome show of antiauthoritarian talent featuring achromatic and Black, Jewish and non-Jewish players.”

According to Dreier, nan Oise squad were invited to compete successful an further tourney successful Italy for GI squads, and they did so, albeit pinch a reconstituted roster that near retired Brown and Day. Elk says that 1 of Oise’s opponents had an all-Black roster, including Negro Leagues players, and that akin integrated ballgames for servicemembers took spot successful different wartime theaters, including northbound Africa and nan South Pacific.

In October 1945, a period aft nan GI World Series, Robinson signed pinch nan Dodgers. Team president Branch Rickey is acknowledged arsenic nan man who yet decided to merge a awesome convention roster. A mobility remains: Was Rickey’s liking successful Robinson influenced astatine each by nan Oise team?

“It’s an incredibly important moment,” Weintraub says of nan GI World Series. “I don’t cognize if it had a nonstop effect connected integrating Major League Baseball.”

We whitethorn ne'er cognize nan answer. Regardless, what we do cognize is that 80 years ago, aft Brown and Day helped triumph nan conflict for populist overseas by serving successful nan 2nd world war, they subsequently helped triumph different conflict for populist by playing connected an integrated shot team.