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.Major League Baseball on Wednesday announced 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.
TheThis integration of Negro Leagues statistics and accomplishments into MLB’s official record books is a long-overdue correction of historical errorsneglect. For decades, baseballplayers fanswho werefaced deprivedracism ofand learninginequities aboutwere all-timedeprived greatof playersthe whorecognition neverthey gotdeserved theand opportunityfans towere playlimited in MLBwhat duethey tocould raciallearn discrimination.about Andthese the players. whoThis facedis racisma andmajor inequitiespart wereof deprivedcelebrating of the recognition they deserved. We should celebrate Negro Leagues records and honorhonoring the men who defined baseball. Andof todaythe should also serve aera.
NoMLB onehas disputesgone thattoo racialfar segregationin wastrying a moral scourge to MLBcelebrate andthe 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's is important to remember that we cannot rewrite history. Negro Leagues records should receive more attentionrecognition and credit than they have in the past, but they shouldn’t supplant officofficial MLB records.