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It’s hard to talk about the history of the White Sox without mentioning Frank Thomas, the retired superstar who holds a slew of franchise records. However, the two sides have a fairly rocky relationship, and we’ve been treated to the latest chapter in that saga after he took issue with his contributions being glossed over in a graphic the team put together for Black History Month.
There are currently 13 players in the Baseball Hall of Fame who are immortalized with a plaque where they’re sporting a White Sox cap. That list of MLB legends includes Frank Thomas, who spent 16 of his 19 seasons with the franchise that selected him with the seventh overall pick in the draft in 1989.
During his time in Chicago, the man known as “The Big Hurt” was a five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger winner who won back-to-back AL MVP awards starting in 1993. He still holds the franchise record for home runs (448), RBI (1,465), and runs (1,327), and he was the first member of the team to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame the first year they were eligible before he was enshrined in 2014.
That’s the kind of stat that probably could have made its way onto a graphic the White Sox shared over the weekend, and Thomas made it pretty clear he was not happy about being deprived of some of the credit he thinks he deserves when it comes to his impact in Chicago.
Frank Thomas called out the White Sox for overlooking him in a Black History Month graphic where he only received a cursory mention
On Sunday, the White Sox marked the start of Black History Month with a graphic commemorating some historic firsts that the franchise is affiliated with.
Notable figures including Harold Baines, Al Smith, and Dick Allen received a dedicated slot honoring their achievements, and while Thomas did get a mention, it was a bit of an afterthought when you consider the MVP awards were lumped in with the one the last man on that list secured in 1972.
The graphic came to the attention of the 57-year-old, who described himself as “the black player who made you rich…and holds all your records” while calling out the team for failing to give him a prominent spot.
I Guess the black player who made you rich over there and holds all your records is forgettable! Don’t worry I’m taking Receipts!
— Frank Thomas (@TheBigHurt_35) February 1, 2026
As I mentioned above, his status as their lone first-ballot Hall of Famer seemed like a pretty organic opportunity. They also probably could have opted for a picture of him while discussing the logo’s place in “’90s hip-hop culture” as opposed to Bo Jackson, who only spent two years with the White Sox during his career.
Thomas may have retired as a member of the White Sox after signing a one-day contract in 2010, but their divorce was anything but amicable.
He was unceremoniously released after they won the World Series in 2005 (he was sidelined by an injury during their postseason run), and he singled out owner Jerry Reinsdorf for failing to call him to inform him of the decision that was made by former GM Ken Williams, who labeled him “an idiot” after they publicly butted heads in the wake of his departure.
It seemed like the two sides had patched things up, but it doesn’t sound like that’s necessarily the case anymore.