This Day in Sports Business History October

On October 8, 1951, Major League Baseball reached a turning point when Commissioner Albert “Happy” Chandler was pushed out of office by the team owners. Chandler, who had served as the game’s second commissioner since 1945, had made bold business and cultural decisions that reshaped the sport. He approved Branch Rickey’s signing of Jackie Robinson in 1947, breaking baseball’s color barrier despite strong resistance from many owners, and he championed the establishment of a player pension fund tied to World Series broadcast rights—an early step in linking media revenues to player welfare. Chandler also helped guide baseball’s transition into the television age, ensuring that the sport kept pace with new revenue opportunities.