The League

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The League

PG

2023

1h 43m

Documentary

History

Sports

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

THE LEAGUE celebrates the dynamic journey of Negro League baseball's triumphs and challenges through the first half of the twentieth century. The story is told through previously unearthed archival footage and never-before-seen interviews with legendary players like Satchel Paige and Buck O'Neil -- whose early careers paved the way for the Jackie Robinson era -- as well as celebrated Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Hank Aaron who started out in the Negro Leagues. From entrepreneurial titans Cumberland Posey and Gus Greenlee, whose intense rivalry fueled the rise of two of the best baseball teams ever to play the game, to Effa Manley, the activist owner of the Newark Eagles and the only woman ever admitted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, THE LEAGUE explores Black baseball as an economic and social pillar of Black communities and a stage for some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game, while also examining the unintended consequences of integration.

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Critics Consensus

Exploring American history through the lens of the national pastime, The League is essential for sports fans and valuable viewing for audiences of all persuasions.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

07/22/2023

Both the history and the filmmaking here are extraordinary.

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Oliver Jones

Observer

07/17/2023

2/4

By presenting this crucial cultural phenomenon in a staid documentary form and in the reverent tone of a hushed docent, The League has the unintentional impact of making Black baseball seem like ancient rather than living history.

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Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

07/14/2023

Ultimately, Pollard’s film is equal parts tribute and lament, as complicated as this country.

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Loren King

Newport This Week (RI)

04/05/2024

It’s a superb baseball film because it places the game in the context of American social and economic history; it’s a sport film even for people who don’t like sports.

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Tynan Yanaga

Film Inquiry

12/09/2023

I believe baseball holds a mirror to where our society has been and where it went across the expanse of the 20th century, The League is a crucial part of this story.

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Scott Hines

Decider

11/10/2023

If you love baseball, you’re probably aching a little bit with the prospect of a long winter between us and spring training. The League is a great chance to scratch that itch while rounding out your knowledge of the national pastime.

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Kathy S

07/10/2023

Covered more of the history of the Negro League than I have learned from other sources .

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Megan e

@RT58906942 12/18/2023

Fantastic documentary! So important to watch this!

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Tim W

@RT10802301 07/22/2023

I am very interested on this subject. The question I had going in: will this cover the Negro Leagues better than Ken Burn's epic doc Baseball? The answer is, sadly, no. While much of the material is the same Baseball does a better job of; covering the key players (particularly Jackie Robinson), following the story over decades and integrating (sorry) the story of the Negro Leagues into the background of baseball writ large and american society.

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Allen S

@RT25179892 07/20/2023

Fantastic film about legends who weren't allowed to compete because of discrimination. They forged their own league and excelled

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daniel s

@RT28961160 07/10/2023

Superbly moving doc that builds slowly and hits hard at the end. A testament to the courage of the black baseball players and families that preceded Jackie breaking the color barrier and all that that ultimately advanced

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Al A

@RT36830200 07/09/2023

Worthy topic, but there have been so many outstanding baseball documentaries made that the bar is pretty high. It's ok, but falls far short of the quality of other sports and baseball docs.

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Sam Pollard

Director

Jakkar Thompson

Ruben Foster

Clayton B. Stevens

C.I Taylor

Robin Espinola

Producer

David Sirulnick

Producer

Jen Isaacson

Producer

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Synopsis

THE LEAGUE celebrates the dynamic journey of Negro League baseball's triumphs and challenges through the first half of the twentieth century. The story is told through previously unearthed archival footage and never-before-seen interviews with legendary players like Satchel Paige and Buck O'Neil -- whose early careers paved the way for the Jackie Robinson era -- as well as celebrated Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Hank Aaron who started out in the Negro Leagues. From entrepreneurial titans Cumberland Posey and Gus Greenlee, whose intense rivalry fueled the rise of two of the best baseball teams ever to play the game, to Effa Manley, the activist owner of the Newark Eagles and the only woman ever admitted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, THE LEAGUE explores Black baseball as an economic and social pillar of Black communities and a stage for some of the greatest athletes to ever play the game, while also examining the unintended consequences of integration.

Director: Sam Pollard
Producer: Robin Espinola, David Sirulnick, Jen Isaacson, Byron Motley, Jon Kamen
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Play/Action Pictures, 2929 Productions, Two One Five Entertainment, RadicalMedia, Yabba Biri Productions
Rating: PG (Some Violent Images|A Racial Slur|Smoking|Racism|Thematic Content)
Genre: Documentary, History, Sports
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 7, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 14, 2023
Box Office (Gross USA): $69.2K
Runtime: 1h 43m