WENDELL SMITH: A pioneer for African American sports writers and baseball players By Joshua Hargrove

Growing up in Chicago

Wendell Smith was born and raised in Detroit, born to a father who was a personal chef for legendary American industrialist Henry Ford. Wendell would play baseball with Ford’s sons any chance he was given, and this struck a curiosity within his father and Ford about what he wanted to do when he grew up.

In 1933, Wendell, renowned by his peers for his pitching skill, pitched in a state championship game for the integrated American League team. He pitched a shutout and was even approached by a scout for the Detroit Lions. However, due to the management of the League, signing him was not a possibility.

Creating a better chance

When Detroit Lions scout, Wish Egan, broke the news to Wendell about having no chance of getting signed it was there that he decided to pursue sports writing. In doing so he hoped to remove the barriers preventing black baseball players from making the big leagues.

Wendell graduated from West Virginia State College in 1937 and was quickly signed to the largest national newspaper of the time, The Pittsburgh Courier. This newspaper pushed for their writers to include civil rights in their work. Wendell got creative and used his sports writing style to discuss the color line within baseball.

Wendell interviewed 50 white National League players and managers to see their stances on having a black baseball player on their team. 75 percent of those people told him they were indifferent to having a black player on their team. He used these interviews to turn the hand of major league club owners into hosting tryouts for black baseball players in 1945, even though they still refused to sign any of the men who came out.

Discovering 42

Two years later, Wendell and the Brooklyn Dodgers discussed having a black player play for them. Wendell brought up Jackie Robinson first and would advocate for him to be signed. When Jackie was signed to the Triple AAA team, Montreal Royals, Wendel was told to travel and support Jackie during the 1946-1947 seasons.

What came after 42

Within a year, Wendell became the first Black sports writer for a white newspaper, Chicago’s America, and the first Black member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. This opened up more opportunities for him later in his career, including becoming a sportscaster and appearing on WGN’s long-running People to People news program.

His relationship with Jackie no longer existed because of their significant differences in political beliefs. For ten years, Wendell kept Jackie at arm's length.

In 1971, Smith was one of ten men selected to be a voting member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Special Committee on the Negro Leagues. Sam Lacy was the only other person, besides him who wasn't directly involved in baseball as either an owner or player.

Legacy after death

Wendell died of cancer in 1972, but his contributions to sports writing and baseball as a whole weren’t unnoticed.

He is the first African American recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding contributions to baseball writing. The significance of his presence is highlighted in the film “42," which tells the story of Jackie Robinson and his journey to becoming the first Black Major League Baseball player. An award named after him, alongside another contributor to sports writing, is called the Sam Lacy-Wendell Smith Award, presented annually to a sports journalist or broadcaster who has made substantial contributions to racial and gender equality in sports.

The Extras

His and Jackie’s interests didn’t politically align throughout their life and they grew apart.

GN doubled his salary so he “fell in love,” with newspaper work.

He worked as a sportscaster and often appeared on WGN’s long-running People to People news program.

He and Sam Lacy were the only two voting members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Special Committee on the Negro Leagues who were not directly involved in baseball as either an owner or player.

The Shut Out

“Wendell Smith was a pioneering African American sportswriter who played a crucial role in breaking racial barriers in baseball. His contributions to sports journalism and civil rights left a lasting impact on baseball and American society.”