according to the autobiography of former cleveland indians owner bill veeck, the avoidance of racism was one reason the cactus league was established. in 1947, veeck was the owner of the minor league milwaukee brewers and the team trained in ocala, florida. veeck inadvertently sat in the black section of the segregated stands and engaged in conversation with a couple of fans. according to veeck's book, the local law enforcement told veeck he could not sit in that section, and then called the ocala mayor when veeck argued back. the mayor finally backed down when veeck threatened to take his team elsewhere for spring training and promised to let the country know why.