The Negro Leagues Chronology: Events in Organized Black Baseball, 1920-1948

When Jackie Robinson signed to play major league baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, it signified not only the beginning of one era but the ending of another. With the formation of the Negro National League in 1920, black baseball players had forged their own legacy with regard to America's national pastime. For the next twenty-eight years, various Negro Leagues - including the Eastern Colored League, the American Negro League and the East-West League - would operate throughout the country, often playing exhibition games which drew notable crowds and sometimes eclipsed the popularity of regular league play, even championships. Black owners and team managers struggled to keep Negro Leagues afloat, faced with difficulties such as creating a balanced league schedule, booking adequate stadiums and enforcing contracts in spite of player and owner disrespect for the agreements. Providing an overview of outstanding and notable moments, this volume is a comprehensive, year-by-year reference to the basic facts in Negro League history. From the Negro Leagues' organized beginning in 1920 through their eventual dissolution in 1948, it includes notes regarding league meetings, important games (such as no-hitters and playoffs), pennant information and criticism by prominent baseball columnists. In addition, the work explores the relationship between the Negro Leagues and major league baseball. Controversies which 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 examined here.