Modern baseball traces its origins back to the mid-19th century with the founding of the New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club. However, for decades, discriminatory laws and practices prevented Black baseball players from playing on teams with their white counterparts. The players had to find alternate ways to play baseball, including forming Black-only teams.
In 1920, Chicago American Giants owner Andrew “Rube” Foster created the Negro National League to bring baseball to more Black communities. Despite the inequality these players faced, many triumphed in the league, including Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Judy Johnson and Cool Papa Bell — all of whom were inducted into The National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Years after Major League Baseball (MLB) integrated, the Negro Leagues Family Alliance (NLFA) was founded by the families of Negro National League baseball players, including Ron “Schoolboy” Teasley, Josh Gibson, Norman Thomas “Turkey” Stearnes and Andrew “Rube” Foster. It was created to preserve the history and legacy of the Negro National League, bridge gaps and further empower youth to participate in baseball. The NLFA also provides educational resources about the Negro National League. MLB recently gifted the NLFA with a large donation to help increase the number of Black baseball players in youth, college, minor and major league play.
Ahead, we discuss this gift from MLB and other initiatives helping to reduce barriers in baseball. We also highlight philanthropist Robert F. Smith’s role in fostering onramps for youth from often underrepresented communities.
The MLB’s $500,000 Grant
The Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Players Association (MLB-MLBPA) Youth Development Foundation announced a donation of $500,000 to the NLFA. The gift is intended to help expand the number of Black youth in baseball programs in the U.S. and support the NLFA’s other youth-focused initiatives.
“Our whole mission is about increasing access and reducing barriers to the sport, primarily for underserved communities,” said Jean Lee Batrus, the Executive Director of the MLB-MLBPA Youth Development Foundation. “When you look at the histories of the people that fought so hard for excellence and equality, it was the Negro Leaguers.”
In June 2024, the grant was formally accepted by the NLFA’s founders at a Juneteenth celebration at the Southern Negro League Museum (NSLM) in Birmingham, Alabama.
Sean Gibson, the great-grandson of Negro Leaguer Josh Gibson and co-founder of NLFA, said, “The YDF’s goals strongly align with our organization’s mission to preserve the legacy of the Negro Leagues and revitalize that legacy by educating the next generation of young athletes.”
Reducing Barriers in Baseball
Since its inception, the NLFA has sponsored initiatives to help increase representation in baseball. Yet, MLB faces historically low numbers of Black players. In 2024, Opening Day rosters showed that just 6% of players are Black — which accounts for 57 players. In 1991, when a study was started by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida, 18% of players in the MLB were Black.
There are efforts to increase the number of Black youth playing baseball beyond the NLFA’s work, including through MLB Develops programs like the DREAM Series and the Hank Aaron Invitational. These programs act as a pipeline to college baseball and the major and minor leagues, which expand avenues for young Black athletes dreaming of playing in the major leagues.
Smith’s Work to Close Opportunity Gaps
Smith is an advocate for programs like the NLFA, which uplift youth from communities that often lack access to resources and opportunities. Many of these programs also assist youth in developing critical life and career skills. One such program is the Restoration Retreat by Fund II Foundation, of which Smith is the founding director and President. Founded in 2014, Fund II Foundation helps create an enduring American legacy, working to improve the lives of those in Black and Brown communities.
Designed for Black youth, the Restoration Retreat offers workshops around health and wellness nature, financial literacy and coding and robotics.
Another program from Fund II Foundation is internXL. This internship matching program provides highly qualified entry-level talent to STEM and business-related employers and offers participants career readiness training and mentorship opportunities.
Stay up-to-date with Smith and the latest initiatives he supports by following him on LinkedIn.
