Thank you for this excellent piece and insight about "ourstory" - not the "history" as written by others. A plan could have been put in place and negotiated at the time to allow each or most of the Negro League to continue to exist but as a minor league affiliate of a Major League team. This minor league system at that time would have allowed a better integration of players while allowing the black owners to continue in the communities they were serving as a growing business. As our nation moved into the 1960 to 2000 time period some of these Negro minor league owners could have become Major league owners during future expansion of the major league in the 1970 - 2005 time period or maintained having a viable and thriving business owned and operated by a black person in non major league markets.
During that time period the more overt racist Major league owners could opt out of having a Negro League team as part of their minor league system, while the "more open" ML owners would gain a player pool and new market advantage over the more openly racist owners. This would have naturally forced a more equitable integration between the Negro and Major leagues.
Another home run!
Thank you for this excellent piece and insight about "ourstory" - not the "history" as written by others. A plan could have been put in place and negotiated at the time to allow each or most of the Negro League to continue to exist but as a minor league affiliate of a Major League team. This minor league system at that time would have allowed a better integration of players while allowing the black owners to continue in the communities they were serving as a growing business. As our nation moved into the 1960 to 2000 time period some of these Negro minor league owners could have become Major league owners during future expansion of the major league in the 1970 - 2005 time period or maintained having a viable and thriving business owned and operated by a black person in non major league markets.
During that time period the more overt racist Major league owners could opt out of having a Negro League team as part of their minor league system, while the "more open" ML owners would gain a player pool and new market advantage over the more openly racist owners. This would have naturally forced a more equitable integration between the Negro and Major leagues.