MLB Corrects ‘Longtime Oversight’, Now Recognizes Negro Leagues As ‘Major League’

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Negro Leagues baseball veteran Jim Robinson, left, and ESPN/ABC correspondent Ryan Smith, seen in New York in February.

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Donald Traill/AP

Live Updates: Protests For Racial Justice
MLB Commemorates The 100th Anniversary Of The Negro Leagues

«The perceived deficiencies of the Negro Leagues’ structure and scheduling were born of MLB’s exclusionary practices, and denying them Major League status has been a double penalty, much like that exacted of Hall of Fame candidates prior to Satchel Paige’s induction in 1971,» Thorn said in a statement.

«Granting MLB status to the Negro Leagues a century after their founding is profoundly gratifying,» he added.

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A detail of the scoreboard honoring the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues on display during a game between the Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers at Coors Field in Denver in August.

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America Reckons With Racial Injustice
Cleveland Baseball Team Will Drop Controversial Name To ‘Unify Our Community’

Paul Dolan, the owner of the Cleveland baseball team, said it would continue to use its current name until the franchise could settle on a new one that would «better unify our community and build our legacy for a new generation.»

The Washington Football Team made a similar decision to change its name earlier this year.

NPR’s Russell Lewis contributed to this report.

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• negro league
• major league
• Major League Baseball
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