Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Latino baseball website launches with U. of I. historian as editor-in-chief

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The National Baseball Hall of Fame has launched a new online platform to celebrate Latino baseball, with University of Illinois history professor Adrian Burgos Jr. as its editor-in-chief.

The site, La Vida Baseball (www.lavidabaseball.com), went online today.

Burgos, in a Hall of Fame news release, said the new media platform was created “to showcase the passion, purpose and spirit that drive the stories of Latinos and baseball.” The site’s perspective will be culturally informed, he said, revealing “what it is like being a Latino in baseball, from the playing field to the stands, and from the front offices and press boxes to their homes.”

In a nutshell: “Latino voices, Latino passion and Latino perspectives,” Burgos said.

The U. of I. history professor has established himself as a leading expert on Latino baseball history, as well as on its connection with baseball’s color line. He has written two books on the subject: “Playing America’s Game: Baseball, Latinos, and the Color Line” and “Cuban Star: How One Negro-League Owner Changed the Face of Baseball.”

He also has been a consultant on two of Ken Burns’ baseball documentaries and on the Hall of Fame’s Latino-focused “¡Viva Baseball!” exhibit, and a contributor to Sporting News.

In 2016, Burgos and his research were the subject of a half-hour documentary, “Playing America’s Game” (go.illinois.edu/pag), produced by the U. of I. for broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

Editor’s notes: To reach Adrian Burgos Jr., call 217-369-8097; email burgosjr@illinois.edu.

Read Next

Behind the scenes Photo of Scott Althaus

Because America never forgot

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — On March 11, 1944, my relative 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly, Jr. and 10 other crew members of a B-24 bomber named “Heaven Can Wait” were declared missing in action after being shot down somewhere over the waters of Hansa Bay, Papua New Guinea. For our family, as for so many families […]

Campus life Campus news Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones

Illinois Commencement Speaker Robert Jones: ‘We’re Graduating Together’

Read the transcript of the Commencement speech delivered by Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones at the 2025 universitywide Commencement ceremony.

Health and medicine The researchers standing with a scale.

Eating craved foods with meals lessens cravings, boosts weight loss

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Food cravings are the downfall of many dieters, who feel locked in an eternal battle with their willpower to resist the tempting sweets, snacks and other foods they love. However, researchers in food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign say in a new study that eating dessert may […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010