The Negro Leagues and Presidents and Politicians

C-SPAN's The Weekly

Something seismic just happened in professional baseball.

For over half a century, records from the Negro Leagues had been kept separate from Major League Baseball.

In May 2024, MLB announced that statistics from the Negro Leagues would now be incorporated into the record books.

Inspired by the long overdue correction, C-SPAN's "The Weekly" is incorporating the Negro Leagues into this week's podcast.

It's C-SPAN's "The Weekly" annual baseball episode. And this year, following the death of legend Willie Mays, we're doing something special – we’ll hear presidents and politicians honor the towering baseball players who got their start in the Negro Leagues.

Among the presidents and politicians and players in this podcast:

• President Obama remarks on Willie Mays

• President Obama remarks on Ernie Banks

• President Bush remarks on Buck O'Neil

• President Bush remarks on Jackie Robinson

• President Bush remarks on Hank Aaron

• President Clinton remarks on Hank Aaron

• President Biden remarks on Satchel Paige

• Sen. Chuck Schumer remarks on Willie Mays

• Sen. Mitch McConnell remarks on Larry Doby

• Rep. Hakeem Jeffries remarks on Jackie Robinson

• Rep. Terri Sewell remarks on Rickwood Field

• Rep. J.C. Watts remarks on the Negro Leagues

What did the presidents and politicians say about these baseball legends?

Which players got the Presidential Medal of Freedom?

Which players got the Congressional Gold Medal?

And which baseball great who started in the Negro Leagues ended up with a standing ovation in a State of the Union address?

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