US Negro League stars found better pay, integration and fame in Mexico

[Judi Lynn]

Cool Papa Bell slides into third during a game in Washington D.C. on Negro League opening day in May 1943. He was renowned for his speed.

New James Bell biography discusses his years playing baseball for teams in Mexico
By Rich Tenorio
Published on Tuesday, March 16, 2021

In 1940, Mexican League baseball player James “Cool Papa” Bell had a season to remember.

Playing for the champion Azules of Veracruz, Bell became the first player in league history to achieve a feat called the Triple Crown — leading all players in three separate statistical categories: batting average, home runs and runs batted in (RBIs).

A few seasons earlier, Bell had come to Mexico as a highly successful player in his home country, the United States. Yet, his career there had been limited because of his race. Through an unofficial color barrier, the American major leagues banned Black players, who found an alternative in the Negro Leagues.

Many Negro League stars, including Bell, were described as being as good as, if not better than, their celebrated white major league counterparts. The Mexican League gave Bell and fellow Negro Leaguers a chance to play on integrated teams.

More:
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/mexicolife/negro-league-players-in-mexico/

[Karadeniz]

1. Our racism, so much damage...

[Judi Lynn]

4. It's so strange people could find such a freer life just across the border, isn't it?

The only difference was the attitude of the people in power.

What a shame, and it continues.

[Best_man23]

2. Another article that echoes the words of this story

Emphasis is mine.

“I am not faced with the racial problem,” said Willie Wells, who in Mexico received the nickname “El Diablo,” for his aggressive style of play. “We live in the best hotels, we eat in the best restaurants. We don’t enjoy such privileges in the U.S. I didn’t quit Newark and join some other team in the United States. I quit and left the country. I’ve found freedom and democracy here, something I never found in the United States. Here, in Mexico, I am a man.”

https://remezcla.com/features/sports/the-secret-history-of-how-mexico-pushed-baseball-toward-racial-integration/

[Judi Lynn]

3. Excellent article. So well worth reading. Thank you, Best Man. ⭐️

[SunSeeker]

5. Oh man. That is heartbreaking.

[Kid Berwyn]

6. History can make one feel shame and pride.

Thank you for the heads-up, Judi Lynn! Did not know that important part of the story.

[malthaussen]

7. Yes.

In Mexico and Cuba and the rest of the Gulf and Caribbean, Negro League players often competed with and against MLB players in "organized" baseball. That sort of thing was only seen in barnstorming games in the US. Some of the white players liked it, and some were just as bigoted and nasty about it as one would imagine.

"Winter Ball" continued up into the fifties, even after MLB integrated, but then the league began to get shirty about players going to play for other teams in the off-season and started fining people for it.

-- Mal

[malthaussen]

8. "Cool Papa" One of the best nicknames in baseball.

Appropriate for one of the better players.

-- Mal