Activist Spotlight: Hearing Impairment Didn’t Stop This Baseball Legend

William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy is a man who overcame many obstacles in order to fulfill his dream of playing Major League baseball. One dream that did not come true, however, is making his way into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Take Action: Honor Dummy Hoy in National Baseball Hall of Fame!

Born in 1862, Hoy survived an extreme case of childhood meningitis, leaving him deaf. Nicknamed “Dummy” because of his hearing impairment, Hoy proved his immense talent on the baseball diamond for the Cincinnati Reds — shocking people with his speed and breaking records with his defensive skills in the outfield.

Care2 petition creator Dawn Watts provides many reasons as to why Hoy deserves a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame:

“William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy is one of our National past time heroes, who is not yet recognized. Just like other National Baseball Hall of Famers, Dummy Hoy made and broke records in the game of baseball.”

Watts continues:

“Like Jackie Robinson did in 1947, Dummy Hoy overcame many obstacles and broke the prejudicial barrier between hearing and deaf to play in the 1800′s. Dummy Hoy brought one more thing to baseball that everyone uses today, hand signals.“

As the first deaf player in the major leagues, and as someone who brought so much to the game, it is a shame to many that such an inspiring man of the game is hardly recognized, or even remembered, today.

Sign the petition to honor baseball icon William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy and make sure he finds a spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. — where he most certainly belongs.