Reggie Jackson spent his minor league days calling Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, his home ballpark, but he still was subject to plenty of racism.
Former Negro League stars returned to Rickwood Field, the home of the late Willie Mays' professional baseball debut, on Thursday night to celebrate the history of the Black legends of the game. Reggie Jackson missed the Negro League era, but he did play minor league baseball at the legendary Birmingham, Alabama, field. Jackson suited up for the Birmingham Black Barons, which were a minor league affiliate of the then Kansas City Athletics.
When speaking with the MLB on FOX team ahead of the Giants-Cardinals game at Rickwood, Jackson said it was 'not easy' to return to the field. 'The racism when I played here, the difficulty of going through different places where we traveled … I wouldn’t wish it on anybody,' Jackson began before sharing his harsh reality. 'I would walk into restaurants, they would point at me and say ‘that n----- can’t eat here.
Willie Mays' son, Michael, addressed the crowd before the game, asking them to make as much noise as they could so that his father could hear. Willie, an original Black Baron, died Tuesday at age 93. The game can be viewed on FOX. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
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