Bud is thought to be the first Black player in pro baseball, starting in 1878 and playing for or managing over 60 teams. He is also well-known as a founder of Black “barnstorming” teams, which were teams that traveled around the country to play local teams mostly in small towns.

Many white teams refused to play against the teams Bud was on because of the color of his skin. This led Bud to work for many different teams and to move across the country, preventing him from settling down in any one place for long.

Bud didn’t let racism stop him from playing and he paved the way for future Black players. In 1894, he teamed up with Grant “Home Run” Johnson to form the Page Fence Giants, one of the best Black barnstorming teams of the time.

• The Page Fence Giants traveled across the country on their own custom train car.
• When the Page Fence Giants arrived in town, they would ride bicycles from the train station to the ballpark. The parade of bicycles got people excited to go to their games.
• As a second baseman, he caught any ball hit his way with his bare hands!

On April 15, 1947, Jackie broke the color barrier in baseball, becoming the first Black player in the 20th century to play on an American or National League team.

Jackie faced mental and physical abuse from opponents, teammates, and crowds who didn’t want Black athletes to play with whites. Some yelled racial slurs and others threw things at him, but Jackie had promised the Brooklyn Dodgers team president, Branch Rickey, that he would not react to this bad behavior. By not fighting back, Jackie showed confidence in his abilities and determination not to let others decide his future and he set an example for others to follow.

Jackie stood up for equal rights even before playing baseball. When he was in the Army, he refused to move to the back of a bus that only allowed Black people to sit in the back away from the white riders. He used baseball to show the world that skin color should not prevent people from having equality. “Jackie Robinson made my success possible,” said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Without him, I would never have been able to do what I did.”

• Jackie was a talented athlete, playing baseball, football, track, basketball and tennis in school.
• When Jackie was in college, he thought that baseball was his worst sport!
• Jackie played himself in the movie, "The Jackie Robinson Story" in 1950.
• After he retired from baseball, Jackie helped start Freedom National Bank, the first Black-owned bank in Harlem.

In the 2014 Little League World Series, Mo’ne, the first Black female player to reach that level, pitched a shutout, taking her team to the semifinals and showing the world that gender shouldn’t prevent people from playing, just as Jackie Robinson did about skin color. Because of her 70-mph fastball, the saying, “throw like a girl” became popular to encourage girls in sports and to remind boys of girls’ athletic skills.

Mo’ne faced the stereotype that “girls aren’t good at sports” and hurtful insults because of her gender. She went on to play softball in college, but even though she was (and still is) an incredible athlete, there were no opportunities for her to play professional baseball.

Mo’ne used her fame to help millions of girls around the world by joining organizations that work to make life better for kids in need, including designing a line of sneakers for girls to help raise money for these programs.

• Mo’ne is the only woman to play in the 2024 East-West Classic in Cooperstown, N.Y.
• She was Sports Illustrated Kids 2014 Sports Kid of the Year.
• Mo’ne plans to one day own a professional women's baseball team in Philadelphia.
• She is currently earning a master's degree in Sports Management at Columbia University.

Mookie is known for wanting what is best for his team over doing what is best for himself. That means that he is not afraid to show that he doesn’t know everything and that he has room to grow and learn so that he can help his team be better. He has also used his personal sense of style to showcase his identity and encouraged others to do the same, even designing one-of-a-kind colorful athletic shoes! One of the necklaces he wears was given to him by a 13-year-old fan, and he continues to wear it, showing how important his fans are to him.

Mookie’s mom tried to sign him up to play Little League Baseball and was told that he was too little to play. Instead of accepting that answer, Mookie’s mom started and coached a new team for kids, like her son, who were not accepted. In high school, he stopped growing and was smaller than the other players but got to be very good because he was smart and worked hard to improve. That made him a very skilled player, willing to take on challenges.

Some say that Mookie’s greatest strength is his ability to learn and being OK with making mistakes. Because he isn’t afraid of looking silly or trying unusual styles, he has become one of the most skilled players in baseball. But that’s not all! Mookie is an example of what good sportsmanship is. For example, while playing against the Washington Nationals in April 2024, Mookie noticed that a rival player seemed hurt and immediately stopped playing to lend him a hand and make sure he was OK.

• Mookie stole second base in Game 1 of the 2020 World Series for the Dodgers, becoming the first two-time Taco Hero. That means that when a player steals the first base of the World Series, fans can get a free taco and, because of Mookie, fans got a free taco twice!
• Mookie is also a professional bowler, bowling a perfect game in the 2017 Bowling World Series.
• Mookie's full name, Markus Lynn Betts was chosen by his baseball-loving parents so he would have the initials MLB, the same initials as Major League Baseball!
• In 2022, Mookie produced and starred in the movie, “Jackie Robinson: Get to the Bag” about the important work that Jackie did for civil rights.

A man named Creighton Hale who was a former leader of Little League Baseball, called the Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars “the most significant amateur baseball team in history.” Why?

Well, the All-Stars were the only Black team signed up for the 1955 Little League competition in South Carolina, which they won by forfeit. That means that the white teams in their city and state refused to show up and play against them. Their State Championship win qualified them for the 1955 Little League World Series, but because of a rule that teams winning by forfeit couldn’t compete, Little League invited the All-Stars to attend and watch the World Series game as guests. They knew they wouldn’t be allowed to play, but, according to their shortstop John Rivers, the team still hoped they would get the chance once they arrived. They drove for over 700 miles from Charleston on a broken-down bus to get to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Little League had ordered the white teams in South Carolina to play against the All-Stars because it was against the rules to treat players unfairly because of their race. Instead of following this rule, the adult managers of the white teams left Little League and started their own group that was for white players only. One of the All-Stars, John Rivers, later said, “It’s a tragedy to take dreams away from youngsters, I knew it then. I know it now, and I’ve seen to it that no one takes dreams away from me again.”

The Cannon Street YMCA All-Stars and their leaders showed great courage driving through southern states to reach the World Series in Pennsylvania at a time when there was a lot of racial violence, including the murder of a Black youth, named Emmitt Till, on the same day as they returned home. To stay as safe as possible, they began their 700-mile journey in the middle of the night to keep out of sight. They also acted with grace and pride, going to a game they wouldn’t be allowed to play.

• In 2005 an illustrated children's book about the Cannon Street All-Stars called "Let Them Play" was published.
• In 2002, the All-Stars, all grown up by then, were finally given the championship banner for winning the 1955 South Carolina State Little League Championship.
• In the 1950s, The Cannon Street YMCA was one of only a few YMCA groups in the country run by all Black leaders.
• Their story was mostly forgotten until an article in Sports Illustrated in 1995 brought it back to life.
• In 2022, author Chris Lamb published a book about the team called, “Stolen Dreams: The 1955 Cannon Street All-Stars and Little League Baseball's Civil War”.