Al Campanis Cancels Himself on National TV (1987)

Al Campanis, the first Greek-American to play in the major leagues, died June 21, 1998, but many felt he gave up the ghost long before. On April 6, 1987 he dug himself a hole on an ABC's Nightline episode remembering Jackie Robinson. Was this a bigot exposed on National TV? Someone out of step with the times? Or someone speaking their cringeworthy truth in a politically-correct era of soundbite TV? Ironically, currently the only manager of African-American decent in MLB is Dave Roberts of the LA Dodgers. Feel free to share your thoughts. How would Al fare in this age of Twitter and Social Media? Shared for historical purposes. I do not own the rights. #### Alexander Sebastian Campanis (born Alessandro Campani, November 2, 1916 – June 21, 1998) was an American executive in Major League Baseball (MLB). He had a brief major league playing career, as a second baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943; he was the first Greek player in MLB history. Campanis is most famous for his position as general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1968 to 1987, from which he was fired on April 8, 1987, as a result of controversial remarks regarding blacks in baseball made during an interview on Nightline two days earlier. ##### Reelblack's mission is to educate, elevate, entertain, enlighten, and empower through Black film. If there is content shared on this platform that you feel infringes on your intellectual property, please email me at [email protected] and [email protected] with details and it will be promptly removed.