Playing America's Game - (American Crossroads) by Adrian Burgos (Paperback)

About the Book

"Adrian Burgos is one of best young historians currently working the baseball beat. This is essential reading, not just for baseball aficionados, but anyone interested in the history of American race and ethnic relations."--Jules Tygiel, author of "Extra Bases: Reflections on Jackie Robinson, Race, and Baseball History"
""Playing America's Game" is a terrific addition to the growing literature in Latino history. It is the most comprehensive and nuanced treatment of Latinos and professional baseball."--Vicki L.Ruiz, author of "From Out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in Twentieth-Century America"

Book Synopsis

Although largely ignored by historians of both baseball in general and the Negro leagues in particular, Latinos have been a significant presence in organized baseball from the beginning. In this benchmark study on Latinos and professional baseball from the 1880s to the present, Adrian Burgos tells a compelling story of the men who negotiated the color line at every turn-passing as "Spanish" in the major leagues or seeking respect and acceptance in the Negro leagues.

Burgos draws on archival materials from the U.S., Cuba, and Puerto Rico, as well as Spanish- and English-language publications and interviews with Negro league and major league players. He demonstrates how the manipulation of racial distinctions that allowed management to recruit and sign Latino players provided a template for Brooklyn Dodgers' general manager Branch Rickey when he initiated the dismantling of the color line by signing Jackie Robinson in 1947. Burgos's extensive examination of Latino participation before and after Robinson's debut documents the ways in which inclusion did not signify equality and shows how notions of racialized difference have persisted for darker-skinned Latinos like Orestes ("Minnie") Miñoso, Roberto Clemente, and Sammy Sosa.

From the Back Cover

"Adrian Burgos is one of best young historians currently working the baseball beat. This is essential reading, not just for baseball aficionados, but anyone interested in the history of American race and ethnic relations."--Jules Tygiel, author of Extra Bases: Reflections on Jackie Robinson, Race, and Baseball History

"Playing America's Game is a terrific addition to the growing literature in Latino history. It is the most comprehensive and nuanced treatment of Latinos and professional baseball."--Vicki L.Ruiz, author of From Out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in Twentieth-Century America

Review Quotes

"A groundbreaking work."-- "Centro: Journal Of Ctr For Puerto Rican Std" (2/29/2008 12:00:00 AM)

"An enlightened look at Latino players in baseball and their underappreciated efforts in defeating the sport's 'color line.'"-- "Seattle Post-Intelligencer" (8/24/2007 12:00:00 AM)

"Burgos has written a well-conceptualized, prodigiously researched, and cogently argued book."-- "Journal Of American History" (12/1/2007 12:00:00 AM)

"Burgos Jr. is an historian and has a professional's comfort with original-source documents, first-person accounts, and archival treasure hunts. His book reclaims the game's forgotten stars and championship squads."-- "Literary Hub" (4/6/2016 12:00:00 AM)

"Superb and, in many ways, path breaking . . . A must-read for any serious fan of baseball."-- "San Francisco Chronicle" (7/22/2007 12:00:00 AM)

"Well organized and expertly referenced, this is a book for anyone interested in the history of race in the US, ethnic relations, and, of course, baseball."-- "Choice" (12/1/2007 12:00:00 AM)

"Burgos does a thorough job of describing this system of skirting the color line, as well as its effects."--Stephen Ellsesser "Mlb.com" (2/22/2008 12:00:00 AM)

"Burgos [uses] baseball to provide a more sophisticated and subtle account of the intersections between race and culture in America."--Braham Dabscheck "Labour History" (6/30/2010 12:00:00 AM)

"Excellent book."--Dan Brown "San Jose Mercury News" (10/2/2007 12:00:00 AM)

"Fascinating"-- "New York Times" (6/17/2011 12:00:00 AM)

"If you want to understand the Latino experience in baseball, read this book."-- "Slate Magazine" (5/9/2008 12:00:00 AM)

"The best book yet on the history of Latinos in American baseball."-- "Beyondchron" (3/19/2008 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Adrian Burgos Jr., is Assistant Professor of History at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He was a contributing author to Shades of Glory: The Negro Leagues and the Story of African American Baseball (2006), served on the Screening and Voting Committees for the National Baseball Hall of Fame's 2006 Special Election on the Negro Leagues, and consulted on the Hall's ¡Béisbol_Baseball! The Shared Pastime project.