ABSTRACT
Jackie Robinson's debut in the major leagues fifty years ago was a challenge to the apostles of racial segregation. It also challenged the dominant conception of offensive strategy in white baseball at that time. The segregation, so to speak, of power from speed was a major feature of the white game, but was notably absent from the Negro Leagues. In this essay, I will discuss the influence that the Negro Leagues in general and Jackie Robinson in particular had on the white major leagues. I will also show how the majors eventually and rightly came to adopt the more integrated offensive style that had long characterized the Negro Leagues.
