In 1947, Jackie Robinson officially broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, years before racial integration was widely supported. He was known to have supported the integration of black athletes and elites in Harlem during the 1920s, despite vehemently denying rumors of carousing with them. Although his heritage was questioned and he faced taunting for his full lips and wide nose, Ruth’s brother could even be called black due to the one-drop rule. Nevertheless, Babe Ruth, born George Herman Ruth Jr. In 1895, began his professional career in 1914 as a stellar left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox before becoming a celebrated slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees, ultimately being regarded as the greatest player of all time.
On Saturday, Stevens, who passed away at the age of 102, said that Daddy would have recruited players of color on his team. Stevens feared that he would be “blackballed” from becoming an MLB manager after his retirement because The New York Times told Ruth’s adopted daughter, Julia, that the Sultan of Swat was “blackballed.” This was back in 2014.
Ruth, who was reportedly called “N-the word” by opposing team members, was viciously attacked and persistently faced suppositions about his race. In addition, Ty Cobb infamously refused to share a hunting lodge cabin with Ruth in Georgia, according to the legendary sportswriter Fred Lieb, stating “I’ve never bedded down with a n— and I’m not starting now.”
Why Race Matters
Although Ruth’s lineage will likely never be determined, journalist and syndicated columnist Clarence Page said the questions around his race are important.
“So, should we care whether Babe Ruth was black? Yes, for several reasons,” he wrote for The Chicago Tribune in 2001.
“One is historical accuracy. I don’t know how baseball fans, who normally obsess over the most tedious little tidbit of information about their sports heroes, suddenly would want to look the other way when probing Babe Ruth’s ancestry.”
He continued, “Second, the question of Ruth’s race does remind us of how far we have come with race in this country and how far we have to go. Sure, race is an uncomfortable topic these days. That’s sort of why we should talk about it, isn’t it?”
“Were Babe black, he would have had obvious reasons for hiding it back then. Jackie Robinson did not break baseball’s color line until the late 1940s. But what about now? Would Ruth still hide his race? Or would he brag about it? Or would he regard his race the way Tiger Woods does, as just one of several racial ancestries he claims?”