Civil Rights on the Diamond

It might be illuminating for someone in the stands at a big-league baseball game to ask youthful white fans, randomly, “Did you know that until 1947 black players were not allowed on big-league teams?” I suspect at least half would respond with something like, “You gotta be kidding.” And I wouldn’t bet against at least one reply along the lines of “Oh, was that, like, when there was slavery?” Only in America, where history is fleeting and elusive̷...