Black players in the International League faced brutal discrimination during the late 1800s. Some Toronto fans were especially vicious, hurling racial epithets at visiting players. The Toronto Baseball Club even used a Black boy named Willie Hume as a so-called mascot. Hume, who travelled with the team, was described as a good luck charm who animated the sidelines with activity and often dressed in ornate costumes.
In 1887, the International League became the first league to introduce a colour barrier, with the Toronto Baseball Club playing a major role in the decision to ban teams from signing any more Black players. This paved the way for the Major Leagues to do the same. As historian Jerry Malloy put it, “The most vociferous opposition to integrated baseball came from Toronto.”
