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Books
Black History ➔ Book, Only The Ball Was White: A History Of Legendary Black Players And All-black Professional Teams; Hardcover, 406 Pages, Ref: Negro Baseball Leagues Archival Collection #113
Identifier:
N230916.1.8Description:
Purchased by Kay Zuris, with funds from the Leagues of Their Own account, for use in the hands-on learning center of the Leagues of Their Own Exhibit.Date:
1970Materials:
PaperDimensions:
8.5" h 5.75" w 1.25" dCurrent Location Status:
In StorageSource:
Museum PurchaseRelated Entities:
Robert Peterson (creator) Gramercy Books (creator) Negro League Baseball (is related to)Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in 1920 that are sometimes termed "Negro Major Leagues".
In the late 19th century the baseball color line developed in professional baseball, excluding African Americans from league play. In 1885, the Cuban Giants formed the first black professional baseball team. The first league, the National Colored Base Ball League, was organized strictly as a minor league but failed in 1887 after only two weeks owing to low attendance. After several decades of mostly independent play by a variety of teams, in 1920 the first Negro National League was formed and ultimately seven major leagues existed at various times over the next thirty years. After integration, the quality of the Negro leagues slowly deteriorated and the Negro American League of 1951 is generally considered the last major league season. The last professional club, the Indianapolis Clowns, operated as a humorous sideshow rather than competitively from the mid-1960s to the 1980s. (Source: Wikipedia)