This documentary is close to two hours of well-spent time learning about the history of the old Negro Baseball Leagues and how the sport helped to integrate America beginning in the early 1900's. It traces the history of Black migration from the South to Northern cities like Detroit and Chicago, helping to facilitate the formation of black baseball teams at a time when Blacks were officially barred from playing Major League Baseball. Games among the black teams became so popular that black churches would move their sermon time up so that congregation members could attend games played by their favorite hometown teams! When players laid down their bats and gloves to join the World War II effort, it sent a signal to the country that they were attempting to achieve a double victory against a foreign enemy as well as segregation back home. Archive film footage follows the exploits of early black players like Leroy 'Satchel' Paige, Josh Gibson, and future MLB stars like Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Even though inequities still existed as Blacks came into their own as major league ballplayers, the persistence and humility of some of baseball's all-time greats helped make fans of all colors appreciate the talent and professionalism of the game's greatest players. This is one documentary you won't want to miss.

If you are a serious fan of baseball history, you may have read "Only the Ball Was White", an in-depth account of the Negro Leagues which flourished in the first half of the last century and where some of the greatest men who were ever in baseball played. Although the book has many good photos, this documentary has a good quantity of rarely seen live-action film.

This documentary is a must-watch, with photos and film of the Negro Leagues, along with excellent commentators including Maya Angelou.

Players like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and many others were the equals or betters of many of the top white players of the time, but thanks to the inexcusable bigotry of many white players, team owners and MLB officials were excluded from major league baseball until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947.

Very highly recomended to all baseball fans!

I've read some books and watched some other material on organized black baseball--but nothing has had the impact that this documentary did on me both for understanding and appreciating what they did for black baseball.

In "The League", director Sam Pollard looks at black participation in organized baseball going back to the 1880s. But mostly it focuses on the African-American Leagues of the 1920s/30s and what a boon they were to black communities on the East Coast and in the Midwest. At their zenith, these leagues were often near the top performers of black-owned businesses and prosperous endeavors.

As one would expect, the great stars (Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Oscar Charleston, etc.) of that endeavor are given some screen time here, as well as owners or key figures (such as Rube Foster--who basically created the entire concept). The production value is quite high too, sporting much live-action footage and great music.

But the true hallmark of "The League" is the adroit way it helps enunciate how the leagues began, thrived, and ultimately folded by looking at how the political/cultural/societal events of those time shaped league actions. Jim Crow laws, bigoted--or at very least extremely unhelpful--key figures (like one Commissioner) of MLB, the Great Depression, World War II, and integration movements all played an enormous role in how the leagues evolved. Pollard does an extraordinary job of capturing all of that and having it be as entertaining as informative.

Overall, I can truly say that this is the best piece of media I've ever consumed on the topic of the black baseball. I walked away with a far greater understanding of the role such competition played in the history of professional baseball--black or white.