MLB Adds Negro League Statistics to Official Recordbooks
The Facts
Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday that it has incorporated Negro Leagues statistics into the official MLB record books, adding more than 2.3K players to its official database and naming new all-time leaders in various statistical categories.
The move comes four years after MLB elevated the Negro Leagues to “Major League” status and recognized the “statistics and records” of 3.4K Black players who played in the segregated leagues between 1920 and 1948.
The Spin
The integration of Negro Leagues statistics and accomplishments into MLB’s official record books is a long-overdue correction of historical errors. For decades, baseball fans were deprived of learning about all-time great players who never got the opportunity to play in MLB due to racial discrimination. And the players who faced racism and inequities were deprived of the recognition they deserved. We should celebrate Negro Leagues records and honor the men who defined baseball. And today should also serve a
No one disputes that racial segregation was a moral scourge to MLB and that Negro Leagues players should be celebrated for their accomplishments. However, this doesn’t mean that legends like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb should have their records taken away overnight. While modern politics push for overcorrections to past injustices, it is important to remember that we cannot rewrite history. Negro Leagues records should receive more attention and credit than they have in the past, but they shouldn’t supplant offic