Baseball Movies: The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)
Another tribute for the late, great James Earl Jones.
In 2021, Baseball Reference made quite the announcement: The Negro Leagues Are Major Leagues. They decided to display stats, records, and historical accounts right alongside the white leagues of the same era. And they’re right. Barred from playing in the American League or National League due to the color of their skin, black ballplayers (who were often much more talented than their white counterparts) were forced to play wherever they could play.
The Negro leagues have been largely forgotten. Records are spotty at best, information is incomplete (I’ve tried to do a little research on the local Baltimore Black Sox, but that was a waste of time), and the recognition these players deserve is still not reflected in places like the Hall of Fame.
It’s not reflected in our movies, either. Kevin Costner has three major baseball movies, but, as far as I can tell, the Negro leagues only have one major release dedicated solely to telling that forgotten part of baseball history: The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings from 1976.