Part of Our Shared American Heritage

A MacGregor G119 came into the shop last October. Dry leather, cracked wrist strap.The customer, Edward, sent a note along with it. We ask people to tell us the story behind the glove when they send it in. Here's what he wrote:

"Want to restore rather than replace. Baseball is really part of our shared American heritage. My plan is to use the glove as well — not put it on a shelf."

He wanted to keep playing with it.

Today is Jackie Robinson Day. April 15, 1947 — the day Jackie Robinson became the first Black player in Major League Baseball, and the sport finally belonged to everyone. MacGregor is an interesting brand to sit with on this particular day. 

In the 1950s, while Rawlings dominated the market and signed the established names, MacGregor made a different bet — signing Black players to endorse their gloves, including Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, at a time when that was a genuine risk, not an obvious marketing decision. Mays even helped design the GC12, one of the best outfielder's gloves of its era. The brand stayed relevant because it aligned with the Black players who were transforming the game. We wrote about Mays and that MacGregor relationship in depth here."

Jackie Robinson didn't play in MacGregor gloves — his game gloves were Rawlings and Wilson. But this MacGregor glove is from that same decade. 

Edward's glove is back with him now. He's using it, not shelving it. That feels exactly right for today.

Happy Jackie Robinson Day. #42