Negro Baseball League

The history of Negro league baseball started when a reporter accidentally bumped into a game between two black teams. The reporter was supposed to cover a white game in New Jersey. The very first recognized team was the Cuban Giants. Established in 1885, they went on to be a team with great accomplishments and will stay in the league for a long time. However its contemporary, which is also the first Negro baseball league, the National Colored Base Ball League, didn’t fare as good. The league folded in merely one month.

The reason for its folding was because of attendance which caused major financial problems. During the early years especially until World War I broke out, Negro league baseball players were continually discriminated and ridiculed by the predominantly white spectators. To counter, the discrimination was made into a rule by the team owners in 1887 to protect their players from Negro league baseball player's mere appearance which most of the times causes riots. The teams of the defunct league was reintroduced as barnstorm or “stunt players”.

The Negro baseball league was again started in 1920. The Negro league baseball teams totaled eight teams. The president, Andres “Rube” Foster, the man who assisted the players in their barnstorming in shaping them into a team to beat, became the president. Other Negro baseball leagues were established. Until 1927, the Negro baseball leagues have two members; the Negro National league and Eastern Colored League. Both teams folded for financial reasons in 1931 and 1928 respectively.

The Negro Southern league was reorganized in 1932. The league was composed of five teams with its supposed counter part, in the east. However, the league in the east disbanded in midseason. Things have come into the better when the new Negro American League was established in 1937. With seven teams, the league would go on until 1952 when future Negro leagues baseball hall of fame players like Saiche Paige, Larry Doby and Jackie Robinson were signed up to play in the Majors long before 1952.

As an honor for these players who endured racism while honoring the sport through the years, the Negro league's baseball museum was created in 1990. Located in Kansas City, you can see pictures of Negro baseball league, Negro league baseball jerseys, and other Negro league baseball apparel. The Negro baseball league museum also has a store selling memorabilia of the rich history of this league.