Crime of the Big Leagues: Lester Rodney (2011)

Plot Summary

We know a lot about how major league baseball was strictly segregated before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. But strangely, few of us know much about the decade-long, fierce, organized efforts to bring that about. Lester Rodney, sports editor and writer for New York’s Communist Party newspaper The Daily Worker, made it his crusade beginning in 1936. This riveting 10-minute film, much of it in Lester Rodney’s own words, tells about the man, his passion for baseball, why he fought for equal treatment of “Negro” ball players, and his perspective on the far reaching impact of baseball’s desegregation. Enjoy this eye-opening mini-documentary about Lester Rodney (1911-2009), the unsung hero who helped desegregate Major League Baseball, narrated by baseball legends Vida Blue and Marty Lurie.

Full Cast & Characters

Lester Rodney

Self

Vida Blue

Narrator / Voice of Satchel Paige

Marty Lurie

Voice of Lester Rodney

Leroy 'Satchel' Paige

Self

Director & Crew

Official Trailer

Where to Watch Crime of the Big Leagues: Lester Rodney Online

Frequently Asked Questions