Baseball Legend Reggie Jackson Reveals Racism in Alabama That Could Have Doomed Him

On June 20, two days after the death of baseball icon Willie Mays, also generally known as “Say Hey Kid”, Major League Baseball hosted its first-ever game at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, in honor of Mays and other Negro Leagues players, who left an indelible mark on sports. The game was called “A Tribute to the Negro Leagues.”

Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson joined Fox Sports where former MLB star Alex Rodriguez asked him about his emotional state after returning to the place where he once played in the mid-Nineteen Sixties.

Jackson began sharing raw, painful memories of the racism he experienced during his tenure with the Birmingham A’s in 1967.

“Coming back here is not easy. The racism when I played here, the difficulty of traveling through places,” Jackson told Rodriguez. “Luckily I had a manager and players in the team who helped me through it, but I would not wish it on anyone.

Jackson continued to inform stories of the hate he faced, recalling, “I said, ‘You know, I would never want to do that again.’ I would walk into a restaurant and they would point at me and say, “N-ger cannot eat here.” I’d go to the hotel and they’d say, “That nigga cannot stay here.” We went to Charlie Finley’s (then owner of Athletics and Ensley in Alabama) country club for a home-cooked welcome dinner. And they pointed at me with the N word. – He cannot come in here. Finley led all the team.

Fighting back tears, Jackson revealed that he slept on teammate Joe Rudi’s couch for weeks until racism forced him out.

“Joe and Sharon Rudi, I slept on their couch three, 4 nights per week for a couple of month and a half. Finally, they threatened to burn down the apartment constructing if I didn’t get out. I would not wish it on anyone,” Jackson said.

Jackson thanked his teammates for his or her support during such a turbulent time, saying that if it weren’t for them, he would have reacted in a way that would have ended badly for him.

“I could never do it,” Jackson said. “I used to be too physically aggressive. I used to be ready for a physical fight. They’d kill me here because I’d kick someone’s ass, and then you definitely’d see me in an oak tree somewhere.

Jackson’s story sheds light on baseball’s complicated history. For many years, a system of white supremacy ruled the game. Black athletes weren’t allowed to play alongside their white counterparts until Jackie Robinson broke the colour barrier in 1947.

For years, the achievements of Negro Leagues players weren’t recognized by the MLB. It wasn’t until May 2024 that the league reversed course and declared that Negro League statistics could be officially added to MLB records.

“We are proud that the official historical record now includes Negro Leagues players,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said on the time. “This initiative is focused on ensuring that future generations of fans have access to statistics and milestones about all those who made the Negro Leagues possible. Their achievements on the field will be a gateway to a broader understanding of this triumph in American history and the path that led to Jackie Robinson’s Dodger debut in 1947.”

“There are individuals who wish to romanticize Jim Crow. “‘Those were different times’ is not an excuse,” one person wrote in response to Jackson’s words on X.

“Thank you for sharing your experience, Mr. Jackson. American needs to hear your story,” social media user he wrote.

Others took issue with the censorship of video replays of Jackson’s remarks.

“Reggie Jackson should not have been censored,” someone noted on social media.

“Why did you sing his words? That’s what the Whites called him. Don’t sanitize what it’s like to be black in the Jim Crow South. Shame” – one other person he wrote.

This is not the primary time Jackson, who finished his 21-year MLB profession with 563 profession home runs and five World Series titles, has spoken about his experiences with racism. He claims this played a task in the Mets’ decision to trade him the No. 1 pick in the 1966 MLB draft to Steve Chilcott, a white player who never made it to the key leagues.

Jackson has spoken publicly concerning the racism he has faced through the years. “The race is always on my mind, even today,” Jackson said Living room in 2013. “If you’re a minority, you mean it.”

In Jackson’s comprehensive book “Becoming Mr. October” suggested that racism influenced the New York Met’s decision to pass him over in the draft and as a substitute select Steve Chilcott, a white player. Chilcott didn’t make it out of the minor leagues and never made it to the key leagues.

In an excerpt from the book that the New York Post published in October 2013, Jackson recalls a conversation he had with college baseball coach Bobby Winkles concerning the MLB draft.

“A day or two before the draft, Bobby Winkles sat me down and said, ‘You probably won’t be No. 1. You’re dating a Mexican and the Mets think you’ll be a problem,'” Jackson wrote. “‘They think you’re going to be a social problem because you’re dating your race.’” Jackson is a black man and Latino. His grandmother was born in Puerto Rico and his middle name is Martinez.

Rickwood Field is touted because the oldest stadium in America. It served because the headquarters of the Black Barons of the Negro League. The Birmingham Barons, a lower league team, played their games on the sector.

Barry Bonds, godson of Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr. were among the many former MLB stars who took part in the special game.