The Fairmount Park League was a place where segregated Black ball players from the Philadelphia region who dreamed of playing in the major leagues could go to play.  Now it’s fading away, writes Mike Sielski for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Only four teams remain.

It’s survived for 75 years by pulling in players from other semipro regional leagues. At one time, it had 20 teams, feeding players to the Negro Leagues.

“It was a unique brand of baseball,” said john DeLeon, who started with the League in 1977. “People would be right up against the cage, and you could feel their breath on the back of your neck.”

When player numbers declined, the League supplemented its ranks with non-Blacks and with suburban players from places like Delaware County.

Still, the numbers kept dropping.

The Fairmount League played its last game of the season recently between the Phantoms, from Delaware County, and the Athletics, from Rhawnhurst, Mayfair and Torresdale. 

Phantoms manager, Kahreem Cunningham is the current Fairmount League commissioner, and a head coach at Delaware County Community College.

He plans to keep the League going.  

“As long as I have breath in me,” he said, “it will never die.”

Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer about the Fairmount Park League.

Former African American MLB players talk about the loss of baseball in the Black community.