The first effort to form a professional Negro League was made in 1887. The result was the very short-lived League of Colored Base Ball Clubs. The league lasted only a week.
The first successful Negro League was formed in 1920 by Andrew “Rube” Foster, owner of the powerful Chicago American Giants. The inaugural season of the Negro National League featured the Chicago American Giants, Chicago Giants, Cuban Stars, Dayton Marcos, Indianapolis ABCs, Kansas City Monarchs, and St. Louis Giants.
The original Negro National League disbanded after the 1931 season, unable to weather the financial hardships of the Great Depression.
