The Negro Leagues Chronology Events in Organized Black Baseball 1920 1948 1st Edition by Christopher Hauser 9781476608488 1476608482

With the formation of the Negro National League in 1920, black baseball players had forged their own legacy in America’s national pastime. For the next 28 years, various Negro Leagues—including the Eastern Colored League, the American Negro League and the East-West League—operated throughout the country. Owners and team managers struggled to keep the Negro Leagues afloat, creating balanced schedules with teams that were financially unsteady; booking adequate stadiums, sometimes around the schedules of non–Negro League clubs, and coping with player raids—first from inside the leagues and then from so-called organized baseball. Painstakingly researched and documented, this volume is a comprehensive, year-by-year reference to the important—yet often obscure—dates in Negro League history. From the Negro Leagues’ organized beginning in 1920 through their steep decline immediately after Jackie Robinson’s 1947 breaking of the color barrier, entries cover league meetings, noteworthy games, the commentary of columnists, and important events on and off the field. Controversies that defined the experience of black baseball organizers—such as player rights disputes, failure to adhere to league schedules and violations of league rules—are also included here.