This Was The Most Popular Pastime On Alcatraz

Posted by Noelle Montes on Saturday, May 4, 2024

Just like sports in the outside world, there were times when inmates got heated while playing sports in Alcatraz. There were instances where fights broke out, and a race riot nearly started during one of the softball games when a white inmate said some racist comments to a Black inmate, per the National Park Service. However, prison guards were always on standby to maintain peace.

For some inmates, playing softball was a way to escape prison life, if only for a couple of hours. Many prisoners were also avid fans of baseball and on October 4, 1955, the inmates weren't denied the chance to listen to Game 7 of the World Series. Radio jacks were placed in the inmates' cells so they could listen to the commentary during the game. Game 7 ended with the Brooklyn Dodgers winning against the New York Yankees, 2-0, according to Baseball-Reference, and shouts of celebrating inmates disrupted the otherwise quiet cell house.

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