Most controversial scandals in MLB history: #14. Racism rears its ugly head
Racism was not only prevalent in the game of baseball but it was openly accepted. While Jackie Robinson is often given credit as a player who broke through the color barrier, it was Moses Fleetwood Walker who was actually the first African American player to play in the Major Leagues.
As a member of the Toronto Blue Stockings in 1884, Walker harmlessly sauntered his way into Chicago to take out on the White Stockings. Adrian “Cap” Anson, one of the best players on the White Stockings, was a well known racist. Once he took the field and noticed Walker, he refused to play due to his skin color. While the White Stockings attempted to convince Anson to play, he vehemently refused.
In order to change his mind, two things were forced to happen. For starters, losing all profits for the game was used as an attempt to get Anson to get on the field. When that essentially failed, the Blue Stockings decided to bench Walker. That, in turn, satisfied Anson as he agreed to play.
Although racism was well accepted at the time, the actions of Anson were frowned upon. Needless to say, if anything even remotely close to that happened in today’s day and age, the game of baseball would receive an unprecedented amount of scrutiny.