Historical Spotlight: The Atlanta Black Crackers
The Negro Leagues were professional baseball leagues with teams of Black American players, coaches, and management. They were formed to combat the color barrier in major and minor baseball leagues and began in the 1880s. While the very first known baseball game between two black teams was played in New York City in 1859, many famous athletes like Moses Fleetwood Walker and Jackie Robinson went on to the major leagues and became legends. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on one of the Negro League teams called The Atlanta Black Crackers.
The team was founded in 1919 as the Atlanta Cubs and were a semi professional team of Black college students. They quickly changed their name to the Black Crackers and played independently before joining the minor league Negro Southern League (NSL) in March 1920. Their uniforms, bats, baseballs, and other supplies were donated by the local white league team, the Atlanta Crackers. Despite being slated to play the 1921 season, there’s no record of the league ever playing any games.
At the time, the Negro Leagues were in the early stages of development and many fledgling teams failed before they even got a chance to play ball. Teams would regularly be added and subtracted from leagues each year, leading to a rather volatile landscape that ultimately prevented much growth or improvement in facilities.
From 1922 to 1925, the Black Crackers continued playing independently and actually took a two-year hiatus before regrouping for the 1926 NSL season. This cycle continued through 1929, with the NSL taking multiple hiatuses and the Black Crackers picking up games as frequently as they could.
This was a particularly difficult stretch of time since the Great Depression had all but broken most of the Negro league teams by 1932. Atlanta struggled to make a profit and they were forced to return to the NSL league, which, at the time, was the highest quality league that survived. It essentially became the major league for the 1932 season and was the only organized league to complete their full schedule. Unfortunately, the prosperity was short-lived and the Black Crackers were back playing independently for the next two seasons.
W.B. Baker helped Atlanta rejoin the NSL in 1935 and 1936, but the league collapsed for good after the 1936 season. While some of its member teams also disintegrated, the Black Crackers were invited into the newly organized Negro American League in 1938. They had a very strong year and finished in first place for the second half of the season. Unfortunately, scheduling problems and umpire controversies forced their Pennant series with the first-half champions, the Memphis Red Sox, to be cancelled, leaving no champion for that season.
The team played their home games at Ponce de Leon Park, but weren’t allowed to play when the white Atlanta Crackers, who shared the park, had a home game. They were forced to play at either Morehouse College or Morris Brown College. To combat low attendance, the team moved to Indianapolis and became the Indianapolis ABC’s after the 1938 season, but was unable to be saved. The team unfortunately disbanded after the 1939 season.
Oftentimes, the Negro League games were misreported or unreported altogether, reflecting the discrimination of the time. It was deemed as “lesser baseball” that didn’t need proper funding, officiating, or facilities. Some games and players are lost forever in history while others like Eugene Smith, James Moore, and Timothy “Cannonball” Berry live on as local legends.
The Black Crackers have been honored over the years and many of the exceptional players in the Negro Leagues have been included in the major league statistics. The Atlanta Braves have worn either a throwback, home, or away rendition of the Black Crackers’ uniforms in 1997, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Some of the game-worn gear was even auctioned off as a fundraiser for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
While the team is over a century old, their story of resilience still speaks volumes today. Despite being shut out of most major leagues and receiving the short end of the stick with funding and resources, the small, but speedy team strived to put their best foot forward to play the game they all loved.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
