Mar 01, 2012 - Sale 2271

Sale 2271 - Lot 221

Price Realized: $ 1,800
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 500 - $ 750
INTEGRATING THE DETROIT TIGERS. (CIVIL RIGHTS.) BASEBALL. Mr. Rogell. The Tigers Aren't All White Anymore. Large red and black hand-painted sign, done on paper mounted to a large piece of cardboard, 27-3/4 x 20 inches; damp-stain and wear to the top edge, not affecting the message at all. [Detroit, 1958]
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Additional Details

Probably created to bring to the first game following the acquisition of Ozzie Virgil, the first black player on the Detroit Tigers in 1958. Despite the racism, loudly voiced by Detroit City Councilman Billy Rogell, hardline segregationist and one-time shortstop for the Tigers (1927-1939), Osvaldo Jose "Ozzie" Virgil broke the color line and became a member of the Tigers on June 6, 1958. Rogell was famous for his racist views, once suggesting taking a large run down area of Detroit and "moving the whites the hell out, and moving the negroes in" as a solution to racial tension. The Tigers were the second to last professional team to integrate. The last being the Boston Red Sox in 1959.