As Shadow Ball portrays so well, the post-1920 Negro Leagues along with all of the pioneers that came before them beginning in the 1880's paved the way for Jackie to break the color barrier in 1947. As a result, within two years, the quality of play and ballplayers began to decline dramatically and a decade later the Negro Leagues were gone completely. The economical effect that this had on the African American community throughout the 1950's and into the civil rights movement of the 1960's was devastating.
While the Negro Leagues successfully accomplished their ultimate goal of integrating professional baseball, they paid the ultimate price of watching their own success disappear into fond memories.
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