For decades there was no uniformity in compensation. Players on the winning squad would split the take from ticket sales with the venue, and the loser went home hungry. They would play doubleheaders in almost every town, sometimes even more than that. Even winning didn't gaurantee pay. Even pay didn't gaurantee food or accommodations. It was a life lived on the road, not just out of neccesity of schedule, but because of hostile environments for black men during Jim Crow. They were forced to develop of a kind of Underground Railroad, a network of businesses and families known to help.
Knowing that their performance was their pay, these players developed a hard-nosed but flashy style of play. The more butts in seats, the more take home pay at the end of the game. Satchel Paige would be the most notable of larger than life characters, famous for his taunting behavior towards opponents and interactions with fans, but he was far from the only one. The entire league played fast and pretty in the field and on the base paths. You couldn't just be good. You had to look good, too. This extended to the clothing the fans wore to ballgames, dressing up in their Sunday's best for each game.
I grew up hearing stories about players like Cool Papa Bell, Roy Campanella, Josh Gibson, Minnie Minoso, and Double Duty Radclife from my grandfather who used to go to Monarchs games when Municipal Stadium still stood at 22nd and Brooklyn. As a kid, those stories made those guys sound like comic book superheroes.
One of the players my grandfather would talk about most was a pitcher by the name of Hilton Smith for the Monarchs. Hilton and Satchel Paige were the most feared pitching duo in either of the Negro Leagues. They were both tall, aggressive, multi-tool pitchers. Satch became the famous one for his antics on field, but he could be taken advantage of that way. Hilton was a quiet man, all business, and very hard to find a weakness in. Hilton Smith was instrumental in the Monarchs dominance, but even today he remains a very little known name, despite having possibly the best record in Negro Leagues history. (Statistics were never properly kept, but what we do have shows he rarely lost.)
Players would supplement their meager incomes by playing exhibition, or barnstorming, games. This eventually lead to the export of players to Central and South American countries during winter months. To begin, the Negro League players were paid much less than their white MLB counterparts in these Latin Leagues. Simply because they knew the Major Leaguers there. Before long, the black players began to show they were worth the same pay, and they got it. Think about that. These men had to leave the country just to get the same pay and food as the white players they proved they could beat back home in exhibition games. Check the qoute in the picture for an idea of how differently they were treated South of the border.
Countries like Mexico, Cuba, and Venezuela became hotbeds of baseball talent, attracting the best white and black American players, professional Latino players, and even professional players from Asia, all playing side by side. This undercurrent of talent is what lead to desegregation in the MLB. Certain owners and managers began recognizing the talent at home and abroad. Latino players actually integrated first, but they were always light skinned and usually had their names changed. But those superficial restrictions needed to fall if owners really wanted to win ballgames and cash in. The games played in South America remain the stuff of legend, but it is often glossed over. This museum does a terrific job of explaining this era and it's value to the development of the game.
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