Soul of the Game is a 1996 made-for-television movie about Negro league baseball. It starred Blair Underwood as Jackie Robinson, Delroy Lindo as Satchel Paige, Mykelti Williamson as Josh Gibson, and Harvey Williams as "Cat" Mays, the father of Willie Mays. The film depicts Paige and Gibson as the pitching and hitting stars, respectively, of the Negro Leagues in the period immediately following World War II. Robinson is an up-and-coming player on Paige's team, the Kansas City Monarchs. Branch Rickey, played by Edward Herrmann, is the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers who is determined to integrate... Major League Baseball. He begins sending his scouts to Negro League games to find the best players. Rickey directs his scouts to look not only at playing ability but also at the players' maturity and capacity to withstand the hostility that is sure to be directed at the first black player in the Major Leagues. Robinson gradually comes to Rickey's notice both for his skills on the field and his personal background. Although Paige and Gibson are far more prominent, Rickey decides to pass them over, concerned about Paige's age and reports about Gibson's mental stability.
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| Release date: | April 20, 1996 |
| Directed by: | Kevin Rodney Sullivan |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 94 Minutes |