Sam Pollard’s documentary “The League” introduces audiences to the teams, stars and little-known figures who populated the Negro leagues by chronicling how Black professional baseball first sprouted. It covers the period from just before the majors instituted a gentlemen’s agreement banning African Americans from playing with white players, to the Negro leagues becoming one of America’s biggest Black-owned businesses, to its demise. In an audio interview, Pollard spoke about how he set about constructing his film, and the ways he connected the Negro leagues to the Civil Rights movement. Where did you find the archival Negro league interviews? Byron also interviewed, through his dad, former Negro league players on video.

---

Persons: Sam Pollard’s, Bob Motley, Pollard, Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Byron Motley, Byron Organizations: Negro, Civil