SABR All-Time Eras Teams:
Segregation Era (1920-1946)
Throughout the 2026 season, SABR members will have a chance to vote on SABR’s All-Time Eras Teams as we celebrate the 150 years of baseball and American history since the founding of the National League in 1876.
The All-Time Eras Teams project is an interactive opportunity for all SABR members to participate in, debate with one another, and learn more about the iconic players and figures from different eras.
- Voting period: May 29–June 13, 2026. Click here to view the full player list for the Segregation Era ballot.
- Zoom webinar: Wednesday, June 24, with a presentation by Seth S. Tannenbaum of Manhattanville University; click here to pre-register
Each of the six All-Time Eras Team ballots will be released throughout the baseball season. SABR members will be able to vote for players at every position on the diamond, as well as the top manager and executive from that era.
Each ballot period will culminate with a virtual Zoom webinar which includes a presentation covering that era of American history prior to the unveiling of the team chosen by our members.
Join us for the team reveal on June 24!
All SABR members are invited to join us from 8:00-9:00 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, June 24 for a special Zoom webinar as we reveal the Segregation Era (1920-1946) team, and hear a presentation on “Increased Access and Persistent Barriers: Professional Baseball from 1920 to 1946” by Seth S. Tannenbaum of Manhattanville University. Click here to pre-register for this Zoom event.
Tannenbaum is the author of Bleacher Seats and Luxury Suites: Democracy and Division at the Twentieth Century Ballpark and an assistant professor of sport studies at Manhattanville University where he teaches classes including Baseball and American Society, Spectators and Fans, Urban Sport, and American Sport History.
More about the Segregation Era (1920-1946)
Baseball was a game of contrasts and innovations during the period between the two world wars of the twentieth century. On the field, a growing trend toward home run-happy offenses affected all levels of the sport. Led by Babe Ruth’s record-setting exploits, the New York Yankees began establishing a dynasty. They also became the first major league team to draw more than 1 million fans in home attendance in 1921. Soon, they would have a new ballpark to call their own, Yankee Stadium, which opened two years later.
The Negro National League, led by pioneering player, manager, and executive Rube Foster, opened its first season in 1920. The league served as the pinnacle for thousands of elite players who were denied entry into the White major leagues because of their race. The segregated all-Black leagues operated during an era of horrific racial violence around the United States, but they thrived with stars like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, and Buck Leonard.
The sport also became more widely accessible to fans who were able to follow along from their homes by tuning in to games on the radio. The first baseball broadcast on commercial radio took place in the summer of 1921 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. By the end of the decade, Arlin and other broadcasting pioneers were calling World Series games for the entire nation, bringing in millions of new fans to the national pastime.
Finally, the hiring of new commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis changed the landscape of baseball’s power structure forever. His iron-clad rule for the next two decades affected the sport’s relationship with gambling, the minor leagues, and fans. However, the American League and National League remained segregated throughout Landis’s entire reign.
Further Reading
