White Sox history includes a deep connection to Negro Leagues baseball, from the Negro National Leagues’ flagship team, the Chicago American Giants, competing at South Side Park during their championship seasons, to Old Comiskey Park serving as a home to the annual East-West All-Star Game. The White Sox honor the legacy of Black baseball pioneers by providing resources that preserve this important era of baseball and these inspiring stories.
In addition to featuring the location of Negro American League Founder Andrew “Rube” Foster’s home, the below map shows several iconic Negro Leagues sites on Chicago’s South Side. It also highlights the former offices of the Chicago Defender, one of the most influential African American newspapers in the country and the biggest promoter of the East-West All-Star game. The Defender invited readers and fans to clip, fill out and mail in ballots supporting players they’d like to compete in the annual event.
Joining in the festivities were Hall of Fame legend and former New York Cuban third baseman Minnie Miñoso and Buck O’Neill, the first Black coach to reach the majors with the Cubs in 1962.
The team of recognized talent included Gene Baker, Ernie Banks, Gene Benson, Joe Black, Col. Jimmie Crutchfield, Claro Duany, Frank Duncan III, Perry Hall, Albert “Buster” Haywood, Sam “Jet” Jethroe, Sam Jethroe III, Connie Johnson, Lester Lockett, Clint “Butch McCord, Clyde “Junior” McNeal, John “Mule” Miles and Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe.
Named after Negro Leagues standout Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe, the Double Duty Classic (DDC) is a high school showcase featuring some of the most talented Black baseball players in the country. Since 2007, the White Sox have held the DDC to commemorate the history and tradition of Negro Leagues baseball in Chicago, while presenting top prospects the opportunity to shine in front of coaches, scouts and their community.
The White Sox held a virtual panel event in 2020 honoring the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the Negro Leagues and discussing Chicago’s significance in Black baseball history.
White Sox stars, like shortstop Tim Anderson, have helped to encourage younger generations to explore Negro Leagues history and the game’s biggest pioneers. Anderson invited 75 teens to a private screening of “42” - a film about Jackie Robinson’s life and experience in baseball - and traveled with local teens to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, for a tour and conversation about those who paved the way for others.
Celebrating its profound impact, the White Sox honor the Negro Leagues annually by flying the Chicago American Giants flag out front of Guaranteed Rate Field.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) is the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African American baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America. Established in 1990 in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri’s Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District, the NLBM operates two blocks from the Paseo YMCA where Andrew “Rube” Foster established the Negro National League in 1920.
