The History Channel has set a premiere date for its upcoming documentary about the Black Major League Baseball players who came after Jackie Robinson in honor of the 75th anniversary of the iconic athlete breaking the color line in the League.
“After Jackie” will premiere on June 18, the network announced Friday — which marked three-quarters of a century since Robinson’s historic first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Prior to that game, the sport had been segregated for more than 50 years.
The two-hour documentary is executive produced by another sports legend: LeBron James. James is producing the doc through his production company, Uninterrupted, with Maverick Carter, alongside Stanley Nelson, Andre Gaines and in association with the MLB.
“After Jackie” will tell “the often overlooked story of the second wave of talented Black baseball players after Jackie Robinson,” according to a statement from The History Channel. Those players include Bill White, Curt Flood and Bob Gibson, who all continued the fight for racial equality.
“The relentless efforts and sacrifices of these brave men would eventually advance the status of Black players on and off the field, send the league toward greater roster integration, and force the sport of baseball, and the country, to change for the better,” the network says.
The documentary will feature new interviews and rare footage of White and Gibson, which were recorded before he died in 2020. Other former and current baseball players are also included in the documentary, like CC Sabathia, Mookie Betts, Ken Griffey Jr., Joe Torre, Dave Roberts, Al Downing and Tim McCarver. The History Channel also got its hands on rare footage of Robinson.
Robinson was 28 years old on April 15, 1947 when he started at first base with the Brooklyn Dodgers, marking the first time that a Black man played in the MLB. The Hall of Famer’s accomplishments on and off the field advanced the status of Black players and sent the league toward greater roster integration.
“After Jackie” will premiere on the History Channel June 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.