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MLB Hall-Of-Famer Ty Cobb’s Public Support Of Black Professional Baseball Players
Hall-of-Fame outfielder Ty Cobb has a multifaceted reputation. In addition to still being recognized as one of the greatest hitters and players of all time, nearly a century after his last game, there are some who still associate him with being a racist who was against Blacks being in baseball. However, research has indicated that the latter part of his reputation is largely unfounded, and in the 1950s, the Georgia peach actually spoke publicly about his support of Blacks in professional baseball.
During a 24-year playing career spent with the Detroit Tigers (1905–1926) and Philadelphia Athletics (1927–1928), Cobb hit an all-time best .366. He also had 4,189 base hits, 112 home runs, 1,944 RBIs and 897 stolen bases. He consistently played the game with a motor several gears higher than anyone else, catching opponents unprepared time and time again as he tore around the bases and in the outfield in a way nobody else could replicate. Not surprisingly, he was part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s first class in 1936.
Despite his achievements as a player, he has been linked for years to petulant, violent and racist behavior. Multiple books have been written about him, typically pushing similar themes. However, Charles Leerhsen dug deep with his research while writing A Terrible…
