Barrier

Since the abolition of slavery in 1865, African Americans recieved an empty promise of equality, that white Americans could never seem to fulfill. Black athletes especially, were harassed and discriminated against for trying to play on the same field as white players, when public opinion told them they should be working the fields instead.

"It is up to us in the North to provide aid and support to those who are actually bearing the brunt of the fight for equality down South. America has its iron curtain too."
~ Jackie Robinson, 1972

"Cap" Anson was a racist baseball player on

the Chicago Bears, who fought relentlessly

to create trhe "gentleman's agreement".

Source: Baseball's Color Barrier

Shortly after the Civil War, many negro baseball leagues formed primarily in the North, in hopes of pleasing both sides of the color line. However, some lucky African Americans had overcome this barrier, and began playing on white major league teams. This caused such controversy that in 1890, the National Association of Baseball Players created what was known as a "gentleman's agreement" that prohibited blacks from ever being accepted on all white baseball teams. The association claimed that it was in the best interests of everyone. That with blacks and whites separated, acts of violence and hatred would be reduced.

"In addition to racial intolerance, economic and other complex factors contributed to segregation in baseball. For example, many owners of major league teams rented their stadiums to Negro League teams when their own teams were on the road. Team owners knew that if baseball were integrated, the Negro Leagues would probably not survive losing their best players to the majors, major league owners would lose significant rental revenue, and many Negro League players would lose their livelihoods."
~ Journalist for the Library of Congress describing the reasons segregation in baseball was widely accepted by both black and white Americans, 2004