Jackson Says Major League Baseball Has Averted a Boycott by Blacks

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Monday that a threatened boycott of major league baseball has been called off because owners have shown signs they are dedicated to hiring more minorities in the front office.

“There will not be a boycott, in part because the process is in motion,” Jackson said at a meeting of Operation PUSH, the volunteer self-help organization that he founded.

Jackson said there have been several encouraging developments since he threatened a baseball boycott last month.

He cited the recent promotions of former players Garry Maddox in Philadelphia and John Roseboro in Los Angeles. Jackson also mentioned the hiring of a consulting firm headed by former Army Secretary Clifford Alexander to develop affirmative action plans for each of the 26 clubs.

But Jackson also claimed that some losing teams have failed to change managers this season so they could avoid the issue of minority hiring. He said the teams haven’t fired their managers “because they would have to make this big public judgment under the scope of scrutiny.”

The issue of minorities moving into front-office positions was highlighted in April when then-Dodger vice president Al Campanis said during a live television interview that blacks “may not have the necessities” to manage major league teams.

After meeting with baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth and National Football League Commissioner Pete Rozelle, Jackson set a July 4 deadline for the baseball plan. He also put NFL and National Basketball Assn. owners on notice that he expected any settlement with baseball to become a model for pacts with the remaining professional leagues.