African-Americans began to play baseball in the late 1800s on
military teams, college teams, and company teams. They
eventually found their way to professional teams with white
players. Moses Fleetwood Walker and Bud Fowler were among the
first to participate. However, racism and “Jim Crow” laws would
force them from these teams by 1900. Thus, black players formed
their own units, “barnstorming” around the country to play
anyone who would challenge them. In 1920, an organized league
structure was formed under the guidance of Andrew “Rube”
Foster—a former player, manager, and owner for the Chicago
American Giants. In a meeting held at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas
City, Mo., Foster and a few other Midwestern team owners joined
to form the Negro National League. Soon, rival leagues formed in
Eastern and Southern states, bringing the thrills and innovative
play of black baseball to major urban centers and rural country
sides in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. The Leagues
maintained a high level of professional s