Baseball HOFer Hank Aaron On Being Hated And Not Recommending Youngsters Pursue MLB Careers
The all-time MLB great persevered despite a lot of negativity during his career
Hall of Fame outfielder Henry “Hank” Aaron is baseball royalty. The man who first broke Babe Ruth’s long-standing record for most career home runs was also a complete player who persevered despite playing as a Black man in the midst of prejudice and discrimination. Accordingly, shortly after he retired from playing, he was still raw about his experiences, and spoke at length about being disregarded and even hated by baseball, which in turn is why he did not recommend that young Black men pursue big league playing careers.
Growing up in the segregated south in Mobile, Alabama, the right-handed Aaron began his professional career playing for the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro Leagues in 1951. However, after just three months he signed a contract with the Boston Braves.
Originally a second baseman, he quickly transitioned to the outfield. By the time he finally joined the Braves the team had moved to Milwaukee. He was a star almost from the outset and went on to have a legendary 23-year major league career (1954–1976) playing for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves for all but his final two seasons, which were spent…
