The History Channel Greenlights “After Jackie”

The HISTORY® Channel greenlights the documentary “After Jackie” from LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s Sports Emmy award-winning brand UNINTERRUPTED, Firelight Films and in association with Major League Baseball and in collaboration with The Jackie Robinson Foundation. Executive produced by James, Carter, Emmy Award® winning and Academy Award® nominated director Stanley Nelson and critically-acclaimed producer and director Andre Gaines, the two-hour film tells the story of the second wave of Black baseball players after Jackie Robinson – such as Bill White, Curt Flood and Bob Gibson – who were up next in the fight for equality. Directed by Andre Gaines and based largely on Jackie Robinson’s private letters, “After Jackie” honors these brave men – many whose stories are unknown – who put their lives on the line to integrate baseball and demand a fairer, more inclusive America for African American athletes around the world.

Robinson’s courageous efforts to stand against the racial prejudices he faced during his baseball career and beyond are frequently acknowledged and honored around the sport and around the country. “After Jackie” delves into the untold stories that followed, of the iconic teams like the St Louis Cardinals and players Bill White, Curt Flood, and Bob Gibson who refused to let the color of their skin determine the boundaries of their successes and ultimately changed the game of baseball, and America, for the better. The film features rare interviews with former and current baseball players such as CC Sabathia and Mookie Betts, and Major League Baseball has provided unlimited access to its expansive media archive chronicling more than a century of baseball history to help tell this important story.

“As a lifelong fan of baseball, I’m thrilled to be presenting this in-depth documentary on some of the lesser-known legends who followed in Jackie Robinson’s footsteps to push past racial barriers in order to make Major League Baseball more inclusive,” said Executive Producer Stanley Nelson. “I’m excited to work with Andre Gaines on this project and am grateful to The HISTORY Channel, UNINTERRUPTED, Major League Baseball, and The Jackie Robinson Foundation for making this film possible.”

“Everyone knows about the bravery Jackie Robinson exhibited in April 1947, but they probably don’t know about the tenacious men who followed him that continued to demand the game of baseball reflect the diversity of the world in which we live in,” said Eli Lehrer, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming of The HISTORY Channel. “HISTORY is proud to partner again with LeBron and Stanley and with Major League Baseball to create a powerful documentary that showcases the courage, grit and relentless determination of the baseball players that rose up after Jackie to alter the course of history for the better.”

“After Jackie” is produced for The HISTORY® Channel by UNINTERRUPTED and Firelight Films in association with Major League Baseball and in collaboration with The Jackie Robinson Foundation. LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson, and Philip Byron are executive producers for UNINTERRUPTED. Stanley Nelson is the executive producer for Firelight Films. Andre Gaines is executive producer and director. Eli Lehrer and Jim Pasquarella are executive producers for The HISTORY®Channel. Nick Trotta is the executive producer for Major League Baseball. Matthew Rissmiller is the co-executive producer for UNINTERRUPTED.

A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights to “After Jackie.”