Week 9: Wiggins, Lamb+Bleske

In the Wiggins article, the persistence (since 1933) of Pittsburgh’s Courier-Journal for the inclusion of black athletes in Major League Baseball is discussed. It credits this specific paper for playing a large role in the desegregation of the sport. Despite there being many black newspapers throughout the country, the Courier-Journal had the biggest circulation in the country and therefore the greatest influence in breaking down the barrier. With the support and dedication from men like Wendell Smith, an African-American sports editor for the Courier-Journal who pushed for including black baseball players in the majors (particularly Jackie Robinson), the barrier was broken. Baseball served as a symbol for American life in general and Smith believed that desegregation in the sport would give people a sense of dignity and inspiration. I have never actually thought about the media’s role in the desegregation of sports so I thought this was interesting and I’m glad I learned about the impact newspapers had.

            In the Bleske and Lamb article, two perspectives about the first integrated spring training game are given: one from a black newspaper advocating the change and from a white newspaper that feared it. The article explains that the black press viewed integration as a transition of society and wrote about the era with more sociological understanding.White or “mainstream” press did not report on integration with the same passion and deserved ferocity. The news affected the two differently. The reports out of the black press on the Jackie Robinson signing was like a “bombshell”, according to this article because it was personal to the writers and readers of those publications. The white press feared integration because they believed it would lead to increased violence but also it would mean more diversity among sports journalists. While the white press reported on the era they did not do it with the same emotion as the black press did.