Baseball. Directed by Ken Burns. Performances by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Buck O'Neil, John Thorn, Gerald Early, and Ossie Davis, PBS, 1994.

“It is a haunted game, in which every player is measured against the ghosts of all who have gone before.”

This 1994 Ken Burns documentary follows the development of baseball in the United States, including the development of the Negro Leagues and the integration of the Major League Baseball. 

Black Baseball in Indiana. Brandon Allmon-Jackson, Patrick Alyea, Daniel Carpenter, Paul D. Weller, and Geri Strecker. 2011. Muncie, In: Ball State University, Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry. 

This 27-minute documentary explores Indiana’s significance to black baseball before and after Jackie Robinson, and features interviews with several former Negro League Players. 

The Bingo Long Travelling All-Stars and Motor Kings. Directed by John Badham. Performances by James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, and Richard Pryor, Motown Productions, 1976.

“We a ball club; we ain’t no circus.”

This adaption of William Brashler’s novel tells the story of a black barnstorming ball club; the film ends on an optimistic note, with the signing of the film’s Jackie Robinson-esque figure to the minor leagues, with the anticipation of a Major League contract in the future. The film’s overly optimistic tone encourages viewers to feel that the injustices of the past have been addressed, so that the game—and by extension, the nation—can congratulate itself on racial progress. 

Fences. Directed by Denzel Washington.  Performance by Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, Paramount Pictures, 2016.

"You're living with a full count. Don't you strike out!" 

This highly anticipated filmic adaption of August Wilson’s play of the same name follows the Troy Maxson, a former Negro League player, still wrestling with the disappointment of his baseball dreams deferred. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture; Viola Davis also won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role as Rose Maxson, Troy’s wife; and Denzel Washington was also nominated for Best Actor. 

42. Directed Brian Helgeland. Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, 2013.

“Maybe tomorrow we’ll all wear 42, so no one could tell us apart.”

This 2013 film tells the story of Jackie Robinson’s groundbreaking career, starting with his early career with the Kansas City Monarchs and leading to his eventual signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The Jackie Robinson Story. Directed by Alfred E. Green. 1950. United States: Jewel Pictures.

“This is the story of a boy and a dream; but more than that, it is the story of an American boy and a dream that is truly American.”

This 1950 film traces the career of Jackie Robinson in the Negro Leagues and Major Leagues. Black baseball is only shown for a brief moment, and it is depicted as lawless (throwing pot-shots at Jackie without recourse, and not offering players contracts). Jackie, on the other hand, is shown as a Christ-like figure who overcomes adversity by turning the other cheek, which is referenced in a very literal way in the film. When Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey asks Jackie what he would do if he was punched “right in the cheek,” Jackie responds: “I have two cheeks, sir.” The movie is deeply tied to the mythos of the American dream, and its inextricable relationship to baseball. The opening line of the film becomes a sort of refrain echoed throughout its 76-minute running time: “This is the story of a boy and a dream; but more than that, it is the story of an American boy and a dream that is truly American.” 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Jackie’s rise to prominence is the direct result of the intervention of gracious white men in the film, starting with its first image of a white boy giving a little Jackie Robinson a torn mitt and evolving into the Dodgers scouting him out, signing him, and defending him every time he’s discriminated against.

The League. Directed by Sam Pollard. Magnolia Pictures, 2023. 

The most comprehensive and well-researched documentary about the Negro Leagues. Includes interviews with leading Black baseball historians and former players alongside archival footage. Read more about it here. 

A Long Way from Home. Directed by Gaspar González. National Endowment for the Humanities, 2017.   

This documentary chronicles the travails of black and Latin players who continued to desegregate baseball in the wake of Robinson's entry into the Major Leagues. Debunking a smooth transition from racial apartheid to integration, González gives voice to the unsung heroes who endured taunts and threats to ensure that the national pastime lived up to its meritocratic creed. 

Pride and Passion: Negro League Baseball. Bobby Cassidy Jr. and Chris Cassidy, directors. Atlantic City, NJ, 2006.

This 2006 film explores the history of the Negro Leagues, which began in 1920 and ended in 1947. It explores the innovations and unique contributions of black athletes who played in the Negro Leagues and ends with the 1947 signing of Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Pride Against Prejudice: The Larry Doby Story. Directed by Bud Greenspan. Cappy Productions, 2007.

This 2007 film focuses on the life and career of Larry Doby, who signed with the Cleveland Indians the same year that Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. It follows Doby through his entire life, beginning with his experiences as a high school athlete all the way to his World Series win in 1948.

Sandlot. Directed by David M. Evans, director. Island World, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 1993.

“Remember, kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die.”

Set in 1962, Sandlot tells the story of Scotty Smalls and his ragtag group of new friends, who play baseball together throughout the summer and find themselves falling into constant trouble. The boys lose a precious baseball signed by Babe Ruth to the neighbor’s dog, and when they recover the baseball from the yard, they discover that their neighbor is Negro League baseball player James Earl Jones. The film works to continue the tradition of building the mythology of baseball by ignoring its problematic beginnings. 

Soul of the Game. Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. Performances by Blair Underwood, Delro Lindo, and Mykelti Williamson, HB0, 1996.

This film explores the lives of Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Jackie Robinson, which imagines Paige's and Gibson's caring mentorship of Robinson, who is recruited to the Dodgers at the end of the film. The film likewise depicts Gibson's mental decline, as the brain tumor that eventually killed him swells, and he is increasingly unable to control his anger and frustration. While the film invites viewers to pay tribute to icons like Gibson who were never able to play on a Major League stage, it is not especially concerned with historical accuracy, portraying, for example, a close knit relationship between Robinson and his Negro League elders that did not exist. 

Sugar. Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Performances by Algenis Perez Soto, Jose Rijo, Walki Cuevas. HBO, 2008. 

This poignant film follows the Dominican prospect Miguel "Sugar" Santos in his quest to become a Major League baseball pitcher. After an unsuccessful stint in the minors, Sugar eventually finds camaraderie with other former prospects. 

They Were Giants. Directed by Scott Orris, 2016. 

This short documentary draws needed attention to the Harrisburg Giants, a Negro Leagues team based in Harrisburg, PA. The real gem of this film is Orris's interviews with several surviving players.