Formation of Kansas City Monarchs

Created by the only white owner in the Negro Leagues, J.L. Wilkinson, this was longest running franchise in the Negro Leagues. It was one of the 8 original NNLI teams. Among their many achievements is developing a method for night games using a lighting system, long before MLB. They won 10 championships, had only 1 season with a losing record (1944), and produced the most major league players in the Negro Leagues^15,16
Notable players included:

• Jackie Robinson (HOF)
• Bullet Rogan (HOF)
• Oscar "Heavy" Johnson
• Hurley McNair
• Newt Joseph
• Bill Foster (HOF)
• Satchel Paige (HOF)

Formation of Negro National League (NNLI)

This was the first successful attempt at organizing Black baseball teams. Foster served as president, and the league was designed to mimic the MLB structure. The league's first game was played on May 2, 1920, and nearly 8000 spectators watched as the Indianapolis ABCs routed the Chicago Giants 4-2.^17,18
Original 8 teams were

• Chicago American Giants
• Chicago Giants
• Cuban Stars
• Dayton Marcos
• Detroit Stars
• Indianapolis ABCs
• Kansas City Monarchs
• St. Louis Giants

Formation of the Negro Southern League (NSL)

This minor league team, formed by Tom Wilson, operated as a feeder team for the major Negro Leagues, It temporarily became the de-facto major league team in 1932.¹⁹
Original 8 teams were

• Atlanta Black Crackers
• Birmingham Black Barons
• Jacksonville Stars
• Knoxville Giants
• Montgomery Grey Sox
• Nashville White Sox
• New Orleans Caulfield Ads
• Pensacola Giants

Formation of the Eastern Colored League (ECL)

Created by Nat Strong, one of the few white owners, the ECL originally competed with the NNL I for prominent players. By 1924, the two leagues resolved their issues and created the Colored World Series (2nd pic) that would play until 1927.²⁰
Original 6 teams were

• Bacharach Giants
• Baltimore Black Sox
• Brooklyn Royal Giants
• Cuban Stars of the East
• Hilldale Baseball Club
• Lincoln Giants of New York

First Colored World Series aka Negro World Series

Played in the fall of 1924 between ECL's Hilldale Baseball Club and NNL I's Kansas City Monarchs, this series featured legendary talents, such as Judy Johnson, Biz Mackey, Oscar "Heavy" Johnson, Newt Joseph, Frank Duncan, and Bullet Joe Rogan. A long 10-game series, played at Schorling Park in Chicago, resulted in KC beating Hilldale 5-0. The winning team earned approximately $308 each (~$5,400 today) and the losing team $193 each (~$3,400). This series drew about 45,000 fans.²¹

Formation of the American Negro League (ANL)

This league operated in the East Coast and occupied the void created when the ECL folded. It had a split season, with two half schedules and post-season. While short-lived, the ANL tried to accurately compile player statistics.²²
Original 6 teams were

• Bacharach Giants
• Baltimore Black Sox
• Cuban Stars
• Hilldale Baseball Club
• Homestead Grays
• Lincoln Giants

NNL founder, Rube Foster, died

Following a lengthy illness, Foster passed away at age 51. His death accelerated the inevitable decline of the NNL. Joe Green said of his passing, "when Rube Foster died, Negro baseball died with him."²³

End of the NNL I

Primarily the result of a void in leadership after Foster's death and the impact of the Great Depression.^17,18

NSL became the last league standing

Originally a minor league, the NSL was promoted to Negro major league in 1932 and was the new site for the teams that had left the NNL I.¹⁹