Acme Colored Giants

The Acme Colored Giants were a Black professional baseball team that played in the Iron and Oil Leagues in 1898, representing Celoron, New York. They were among the last Black players in recognized minor leagues during the 19th century. The team's existence highlights the segregation prevalent in baseball during that era, where a "gentlemen's agreement" effectively barred Black players from major and many minor league teams, despite no explicit written rule. Black players often had to form their own clubs and leagues, such as the Negro National League and Negro American League, which emerged in the early to mid-20th century.12