The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
June 30, 2020

Baseball Greats and Fans Celebrate 100th Anniversary of Negro National League
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In sports news, the Negro National League is celebrating its 100th
anniversary. It was formed in 1920 in response to the exclusion of Black
players in Major League Baseball. Some of baseball's greatest stars and
pioneers, including Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks and Roy
Campanella, played for the Negro Leagues before the MLB allowed any
Black players to join in 1947. This is Baseball Hall of Famer Hank
Aaron. Aaron was signed with the Negro Leagues' Indianapolis Clowns in
1951 when he was just 17 years old. He then played in the Major Leagues
for over 20 years, famously breaking Babe Ruth's home run record.

Hank Aaron: "I got my start in the Negro League, and I will be forever
grateful. Thank you. Congratulations."

That was Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron "tipping his cap" as part of
the "Tip of the Cap" campaign honoring pioneering Black baseball
players.


.