The story of Black baseball begins a century before Jackie Robinson. Black people have been playing baseball as long as white people – as far back as the Civil War. And while some segregation in the sport always existed, the color line on the ball field was not rigidly enforced until the end of the nineteenth century, as racial lines hardened in all aspects of American life. The new documentary (in theaters and streaming now) THE LEAGUE by SAM POLLARD explores Black baseball as an economic and social pillar of Black communities and a stage for some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game, while also examining the unintended consequences of integration.