Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter are lending their voices to a major milestone in baseball: the 100th anniversary of the formation of the black leagues.
The four former presidents kicked off the “Tip Your Cap” campaign on Monday, which asks baseball fans to take a photo or short video of them wearing their caps honoring the talented players and civil rights heroes of the Black Leagues.
Today I am tipping my hat to all the giants of the Black Leagues, from Satchel Paige to Toni Stone and many others. His brave example, first established 100 years ago, changed America’s hobby for the better, opening it up to new generations of gamers and fans alike. pic.twitter.com/05jWocKs17
– Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 29, 2020
I am proud to join the # TipYourCap2020 campaign in honor of the Black League centennial and the talented men and women who played in it from 1920 to 1960. The Black Leagues improved baseball and improved America. pic.twitter.com/ToG1xOOLRr
– Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) June 29, 2020
“I’ve been a baseball fan all my life, and the Black Leagues are an important part of the history of the sport. … I give my cap to the pioneers who showed the world that black players belong to the United States game. “- President Jimmy Carter. # Tipyourcap2020 pic.twitter.com/2yaG84WBH4
– TipYourCap2020 (@ TipYourCap2020) June 29, 2020
The black leagues were formed in response to the exclusion of black players in the Major League Baseball. Several teams of black amateurs and professionals had been formed before 1920, but that is the year that the National Black League was formed and started playing. Several of the greatest stars in baseball passed through the Black Leagues before reaching the Major League Baseball, or before the MLB allowed them to enter. Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Roy Campanella and Satchel Page played in the Negro Leagues
The “Tip Your Cap” campaign is led by Bob Kendrick, president of the Museum of Black League Baseball in Kansas City, Missouri. Numerous in-person celebrations had been planned to commemorate the Black League anniversary, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the museum to find a virtual way for people to celebrate such an important baseball anniversary.
The campaign is already gaining strength. Michael Jordan, Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker, retired from four-star general and first black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell, women’s sports pioneer Billie Jean King, and presenter Bob Costas, all they bowed in homage to the Black Leagues.
