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Effa Manley

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Sports Executive

The Resume

    (March 27, 1897-April 16, 1981)
    Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    Birth name was Effa Louise Brooks
    With her husband, Abe Manley, owned the Negro League franchise The Newark Eagles (1935-48)
    Co-author of 'Negro Baseball... Before Integration' (1976)
    Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Committee on African-American Baseball (2006)

Why she might be annoying:

    On her marriage license with Abe Manley, she shaved three years off her age, claiming a birth year of 1900.
    It is unclear if she was biracial or was a white woman who was raised by a black stepfather and self-identified as black.
    She was accused in black newspapers of preventing Monte Irvin from signing with a Major League team after she filed a complaint with the Commissioner's Office when the Dodgers offered him a contract (which the Dodgers then withdrew).
    After Abe Manley's death, she entered into two brief marriages that she later described as mistakes.

Why she might not be annoying:

    As a member of the Citizens League for Fair Play, she was an organizer of a 'Don't Buy Where You Can't Work' boycott of department stores that refused to hire black sales clerks (1934).
    She handled the day-to-day business operations of the Eagles, including scheduling games and travel, negotiating contracts, meeting payrolls, buying equipment, and handling publicity.
    Thanks to her promotional efforts, the Eagles' debut game was attended by 185 VIPs, including New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, who threw out the first pitch.
    She used Eagles games to support civil rights causes, such as holding an 'Anti-Lynching Day' to focus attention on efforts to pass federal anti-lynching legislation.
    When Major League Baseball's color barrier fell, she fought for Negro League teams to receive compensation for their players.
    When the Cleveland Indians paid the Eagles $15,000 after signing Larry Doby, she pointed out to Bill Veeck that if all parties to the transaction had been white, the amount of money offered would have been closer to $100,000.
    She made sure that Monte Irvin made it to the Majors after all, as her last act before selling the Eagles was selling his contract to the New York Giants.
    She was the first woman in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Credit: C. Fishel


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 20.0% Annoying