Frank A. Young
Frank A. Young, born on October 2, 1884, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was a pioneering African American sportswriter and journalist. Orphaned at a young age, he faced significant challenges throughout his early life, including a period of instability and working various jobs to support himself. Young began his journalism career with the Chicago Defender, initially working unpaid before becoming the managing editor in 1916. His writings, particularly in sports, highlighted the achievements of African American athletes and advocated for their rights, notably pushing for the integration of baseball.
As the official statistician for the Negro National League, Young was a vocal proponent for allowing African American players into major league baseball, a stance he maintained throughout his career. He celebrated the historic signing of Jackie Robinson in 1947, while continuing to pressure other teams to follow suit. Despite his extensive contributions to journalism and sports, Young received limited recognition during his lifetime. He remained active in the sports community until his death on October 27, 1957, shortly after submitting his final column to the Defender. His legacy endures as a significant figure in American journalism and a champion for African American athletes.
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Subject Terms
Frank A. Young
- Born: October 2, 1884
- Birthplace: Williamsport, Pennsylvania
- Died: October 27, 1957
Biography
Frank A. Young was born on October 2, 1884, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. When he was eight years old his parents died and his life became unstable. He spent one year of high school in Medford, Massachusetts, and another in Chicago. As a teenager he sold newspapers on the streets of Chicago.
In 1905, he was working as a waiter on a railroad dining car, a job that gave him blocks of unscheduled time which he used to do unpaid writing and research for the Chicago Defender, a newspaper written by and for African Americans. He was finally paid by the Defender in 1914, after the newspaper’s circulation and staff had grown sufficiently. Although the Defender began paying him a small salary in 1915, he kept his railroad job for several more months and earned extra money by managing a semiprofessional football team. In 1916, he became managing editor of the Defender, earning twenty five dollars a week. He later became sports editor, covering events and writing and laying out the sports page.
In his job at the Defender, Young traveled on weekends to the South to cover sporting events at black colleges. He was the first African American sportswriter to cover these events, and his articles and columns helped them build larger audiences. Racism and segregation made the work difficult, and Young spoke out publicly about the inequalities he witnessed. From its formation in 1920 until its demise in 1931, he was the official statistician for the Negro National League of baseball teams, and he argued passionately that African American players should be allowed to play in the major leagues.
The Depression led to a decline in the Defender’s circulation, and from 1934 to 1937 Young was managing editor of the Kansas City Call. He returned to the Defender as sports editor and began producing a new column, “The Stuff Is Here,” under the byline of Fay Young. In 1937, a new baseball league, the Negro American League, was founded in Chicago, and Young promoted the league in his columns, also arguing that African American players were good enough to play in the majors. He continued to call for the integration of baseball, publicly taking to task notable figures, including baseball commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis and Brooklyn Dodgers’ executive Branch Rickey. Young celebrated the signing of Jackie Robinson, the first African American major league player, in 1947, but he continued to pressure the Chicago teams to integrate as well.
By the late 1940’s, Young wrote only occasionally for the Defender, which had been his professional home for almost forty years. Throughout his career he had remained active in African American sports, officiating, managing, and creating publicity for different leagues, and he continued to perform these tasks into the 1950’s. On October 27, 1957, he died suddenly; he had personally delivered his last column to the Defender earlier that day. Although he received little recognition during his lifetime, Young played a significant role in American journalism. He was the first full-time African American sportswriter in the United States and an important advocate for African American athletes and the integration of baseball.