A Pastime of Their Own

The Story of Negro League Baseball

By: Louis Moore, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Louis Moore

Satchel Paige. Josh Gibson. Jackie Robinson. These all-star baseball players conjure up a golden age of the game, as well as a time in America when the world was divided between white and Black. Most of us know the story of Robinson breaking the color barrier to become the first Black major league player, but the history leading up to that dramatic moment is a powerful story of athletic prowess, business development, and cultural change.

A Pastime of Their Own: The Story of Negro League Baseball is your chance to delve into this fascinating history. Taught by Professor Louis Moore of Grand Valley State University, these 12 scintillating lectures take you onto the field, through the locker rooms, and into the smoky back rooms of the business world in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Kansas City, and other great American cities.

Although little is known about the game before the Civil War, the story of Black baseball players, teams, leagues, and businesspeople mirrors the social history of America from the 1850s through World War II. From the 19th-century “gentleman’s agreement” that segregated baseball into white and Black teams to the creation of the “Negro Leagues” to the 20th-century struggles to break the color barrier, this course gives you one of the greatest sports histories ever recorded.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

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Concise history of the Negro Leagues

This is a well-presented and concise history of Negro League Baseball. It's only 12 lectures, about 6 hours, but it covers the development, growth, and downfall of the different leagues. Starting with the growth of baseball after the Civil War and emancipation, Moore tells the story of the development and difficult growth of Black baseball through the players, owners, and teams that were essential to the history. I didn't realize how many different Negro leagues there were. I would have liked another lecture on the post-integration downfall; this is covered very quickly in the lecture on integration but it felt like there was more to be said about what happens after integration. I think any fan of baseball will learn a lot about an important part of the history of baseball and America in these lectures.

A Solid Baseline History for the Negro Leagues

It was a great opportunity to listen and confirm that baseball could not have become America's pastime without the Negro Leagues influence. Taking it all the way back to the post-Civil War period, you do tend to forget that baseball was such a huge deal. It's a solid start for getting yourself up-to-speed on the basics of the major players, stars and problems the plagued the leagues.

I thought that it was presented more like a book report than an actual course. Louis Moore as the author had numerous opportunities to give perspective when explaining things like salaries, but chose to just go with numbers. For instance, how much was Satchel Paige really playing for and compare that to what most Americans - both white and black were making at that time in a year. It would have given more meaning to the facts that were interspersed with stories. Mr. Moore was fond of saying, "Some say..." instead of finding people that might have had knowledge to compare the great Negro League stars to those we know today. Bob Kendrick who runs the Negro League Baseball Museum in Kansas City would have a huge amount of first hand accounts. Further, the Sociaty for American Baseball Research (SABR) has numerous articles that detail Negro League Baseball in California that although not as well known, was hardly mentioned in the book.

This is a solid place to get yourself familiar with the important contributions of the Negro Leagues to baseball today, but you will need to seek out other resources to get the whole picture.