NEGRO LEAGUE BASEBALL

Part of the History of baseball in the United States series.

Bud Fowler, the first professional black baseball player with his team from Keokuk, Iowa, the Westerns of KeokukThe Negro Leagues were a collection of professional baseball leagues made up of predominantly African-American teams. The first attempt at a black league, the National Colored Base Ball League, failed in 1887 after just two weeks due to a lack of attendance. Several leagues came and went, some successful, some not. The leagues reached their heyday in 1926. Players were making good money, they had a league of their own and some of the best ball players ever to swing a bat were entertaining in front of packed stands. Newspapers around the country carried stories on favorite hometown teams and their rivals. The success of the Negro Leagues contined into the 1930s and early 1940s.

During World War II, millions of black Americans were working in defense plants and, making good money, they packed league games in every city. The leagues' ultimate demise started in 1947 when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. After that, first a trickle and then a flood of players from the Negro leagues were signed by Major League Baseball teams. By 1949, the Negro American League was the only "major" Negro League circuit still in operation, and by 1951 had been reduced to minor league level. The last All-Star game was held in 1962, and by 1966 the Indianapolis Clowns were the last Negro League team still playing.


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