Negro League Baseball Dot Com

Negro League Baseball Dot Com - The Online Home of Negro League Baseball History

The Negro League's Best Of The Best
Only 27 Negro League players had the honor of being elected to an East-West All-Star Game squad 5 or more times during the heyday of this annual classic. Who were they? More...

Negro League History 101
Need an introduction to the Negro Baseball Leagues? For those who are just discovering the story of the Negro League baseball we have prepared a primer on this fascinating part of American sports and cultural history. More...

Negro League Baseball Shop

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Question: Was there more than one Negro National League?

Answer:

Actually, yes. The original Negro National League, founded by Andrew "Rube" Foster in 1920 succumbed to the financial pressures of the Great Depression and folded after the 1931 season. In 1932 the Negro Southern League was black baseball's only operating major league.

The second Negro National League was organized in 1933 by Gus Greenlee, owner of the Crawford Grill in Pittsburgh and, reputedly, a leading "numbers" operator in that city. Greenlee's new league began the 1933 season with six teams that included Cole's American Gaints (formerly Foster's Chicago American Giants), Baltimore Black Sox, Nashville Elite Giants, Detroit Stars, Columbus Blue Birds, and Greelee's own Pittsburgh Crawfords club.

The reformed Negro National League continued in operation through the remainder of the 1930s and throughout the 1940s, ultimately dissolving at the conclusion of the 1949 season.