Heaphy: Female owners in the Negro Leagues

From SABR Vice President Leslie Heaphy at Sport in American History on July 14, 2016:

Having any discussion that involves female owners in the Negro Leagues has to begin with a discussion of Effa Manley, the only woman elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame (2006).  But what many people do not realize is the women that came before and after Effa.  From Olivia Taylor to Minnie Forbes women owned baseball teams from the teens through the 1950s.  They are a formidable group of ladies who deserve to be recognized for their contributions to the game of baseball, for breaking down barriers and answering the challenges of being a woman in a manly sport.

As owner of the Newark Eagles Effa Manley helped guide her ball club to victory in the Negro League World Series in 1946. The Eagles beat the well-known Kansas City Monarchs to earn their first and only World Series crown.  Manley loved baseball from an early age and found a kindred spirit in her husband Abe.  When she met Abe he already owned the Brooklyn Eagles and together they guided the rise of the team.  As an owner Effa used her position to give back to her community and country.  She pushed for a variety of civil rights gains, hosting Anti-Lynching days at the ball park.  She was personally involved in picketing and boycotts of businesses that did not employee African Americans.  Known as the “Don’t Buy where you can’t work campaign,” Manley joined the picket lines in the 1930s.

Read the full article here: https://ussporthistory.com/2016/07/14/female-owners-in-the-negro-leagues/



Originally published: July 15, 2016. Last Updated: July 15, 2016.