The second Negro National League was one of the several

Negro leagues The 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 ...

that were established during the period in the United States when organized baseball was segregated. The league was founded in 1933 by businessman Gus Greenlee of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

League history

The second Negro National League was established in 1933 by Gus Greenlee, an African-American businessman of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, two years after the first Negro National League had disbanded, after the start of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. The second Negro National League lasted until 1948, the year after

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

integrated. After that, its surviving teams merged into the

Negro American League The Negro American League was one of the several Negro league baseball, Negro leagues created during the time organized American baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937 in baseball, 1937, and disbanded after its 1962 in basebal ...

. To distinguish between the two Negro National Leagues, they are usually referred to as the first Negro National League (NNL I) and the second Negro National League (NNL II).

Negro National League franchises

:''Annual final standings:

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

, 1934,

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

, 1936,

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into ...

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the authoritarian regime. ** State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France ...

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

, 1940,

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar E ...

, 1942, 1943,

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in ...

, 1945,

1946 Events January * January 6 - The first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into four occupation zones. * January 10 ** The ...

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

* Baltimore Black Sox (I) (1933) *

Brooklyn Royal Giants The Brooklyn Royal Giants were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1905 by John Wilson Connor (1875–1926), owner of the Brooklyn Royal Cafe, the team initially played against white semi-pro teams. T ...

(1933) * Cole's American Giants (1933–1935) *

Columbus Blue Birds The Columbus Blue Birds were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Columbus, Ohio in 1931 and 1933. Founding Their name appears to have been derived from that of the Columbus Red Birds, the top-level minor league baseball team that ...

Akron Black Tyrites The Akron Black Tyrites were a Negro league baseball team that played out another team's schedule for a portion of a single season. They were based in Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county s ...

Cleveland Giants The Cleveland Giants were a Negro league baseball team. The team played only one year, 1933. Their home games were contested at Cleveland's Luna Bowl in Luna Park. History In 1933, the struggling Columbus Blue Birds of the Negro National Leag ...

(1933) – moved during season * Indianapolis ABC's (II) / Detroit Stars (II) (1933) – moved to Detroit in April * Nashville Elite Giants (1933–1934) / Columbus Elite Giants (1935) / Washington Elite Giants (1936–1937) /

Baltimore Elite Giants The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from to . The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. The team ...

(1938–1948) *

Pittsburgh Crawfords The Pittsburgh Crawfords, popularly known as the Craws, were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team, previously known as the Crawford Colored Giants, was named after the Crawford Bath House, a recr ...

(1933–1938) * Philadelphia Bacharach Giants (1934) *

Cleveland Red Sox The Cleveland Red Sox was a Negro league baseball team in the Negro National League, based in Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Loc ...

(1934) * Baltimore Black Sox (II) (1934) * (Washington) Homestead Grays (1934–1948) * †Newark Dodgers (1934–1935) /

Newark Eagles The Newark Eagles were a professional Negro league baseball team which played in the Negro National League from 1936 to 1948. They were owned by Abe and Effa Manley. History Formation The Newark Eagles were formed in 1936 when the Newark Dodg ...

(1936–1948) * Philadelphia Stars (1934–1948) * †Brooklyn Eagles (1935) * New York Cubans (1935–1936; 1939–1948) *

New York Black Yankees The New York Black Yankees were a professional Negro league baseball team based in New York City; Paterson, New Jersey; and Rochester, New York. Beginning as the independent Harlem Stars, the team was renamed the New York Black Yankees in 1932 and ...

(1936–1948) * Washington Black Senators (1938) †The Brooklyn Eagles and Newark Dodgers merged to form the Newark Eagles in 1936.

Member timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:800 height:500 PlotArea = left:20 right:50 bottom:20 top:20 Colors = id:majorGridColor value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) id:lineColor value:gray(0.6) id:nl1 value:gray(0.9) id:inactive value:gray(0.5) id:gold value:rgb(0.99,0.72,0.15) id:brown value:rgb(0.36,0.20,0.10) id:vegasgold value:rgb(0.80,0.72,0.49) id:green value:rgb(0, 0.51,0.28) id:darkgreen value:rgb(0, 0.20,0 ) id:orange value:rgb(1 ,0.39,0 ) id:redorange value:rgb(1 ,0.20,0 ) id:red value:rgb(0.80,0.01,0.07) id:red2 value:rgb(0.90,0.01,0.07) id:darkred value:rgb(0.50,0 ,0 ) id:iceblue value:rgb(0.20,0.60,0.80) id:lgray value:gray(0.1) id:gray value:gray(0.3) id:gray2 value:gray(0.5) id:sand value:rgb(0.94,0.89,0.77) id:navy value:rgb(0 ,0 ,0.30) id:teal value:rgb(0 ,0.65,0.65) id:teal2 value:rgb(0 ,0.45,0.45) Period = from:1933 till:1949 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy ScaleMajor = start:1933 increment:1 gridcolor:majorGridColor BarData = bar:BAL # Nashville Elite Giants / Columbus Elite Giants / Washington Elite Giants / Baltimore Elite Giants bar:PIT # Pittsburgh Crawfords bar:CAG # Cole’s American Giants bar:BRG # Brooklyn Royal Giants bar:CLG # Columbus Blue Birds / Akron Black Tyrites / Cleveland Giants bar:IND # Indianapolis ABCs (II) / Detroit Stars (II) bar:BBS # Baltimore Black Sox (I) bar:HOM # Homestead Grays / Washington Homestead Grays / Washington Grays bar:PHI # Philadelphia Stars bar:NWD # Newark Dodgers bar:ATC # Philadelphia Bacharach Giants bar:CLE # Cleveland Red Sox bar:BS2 # Baltimore Black Sox (II) bar:NYC # New York Cubans bar:BRK # Brooklyn Eagles bar:NWK # Newark Eagles bar:NYB # New York Black Yankees bar:WAS # Washington Black Senators Define $Up = shift:(,1) Define $Left = anchor:from align:right shift:(-1,) Define $Right = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,) Define $Right2 = anchor:till align:right shift:(-25,) Define $Down = shift:(,-10) Define $UpLeft = anchor:from align:right shift:(-1,1) Define $UpLeft2 = anchor:from align:left shift:(-1,1) Define $UpRight2 = anchor:till align:right shift:(-1,1) Define $UpRight = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,1) Define $DownRight = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,-10) Define $DownLeft = anchor:from align:left shift:(2,-10) Define $UpUpRight = anchor:till align:left shift:(2,10) PlotData = color:inactive textcolor:black width:20 fontsize:S mark:(line,black) anchor:middle # other options are anchor:from anchor:till align:center # other options are align:left align:right shift:(0,-5) # Note on dates: A team's bar begins with the season that team played its first game, and ends with the season after that team played its last game. For example, the Baltimore Black Sox played their first game in 1933 and played their last game in 1934. Therefore, their bar goes from 1933 to 1935. bar:BAL from:1933 till:1935 color:yellow text:"Nashville~Elite Giants" $UpRight2 bar:BAL from:1935 till:1936 color:yellow text:"Columbus~Elite Giants" $UpLeft2 bar:BAL from:1936 till:1938 color:yellow text:"Washington~Elite Giants" $UpRight2 bar:BAL from:1938 till:1949 color:yellow text:"Baltimore Elite Giants" $Right2 bar:PIT from:1933 till:1939 color:purple text:"Pittsburgh Crawfords" $Right bar:CAG from:1933 till:1936 color:darkgreen text:"Cole’s American Giants" $Right bar:BRG from:1933 till:1935 color:darkred text:"Brooklyn Royal Giants" $Right bar:CLG from:1933 till:1934 color:red text:"Columbus Blue Birds / Akron Black Tyrites / Cleveland Giants" $Right bar:IND from:1933 till:1934 color:green text:"Indianapolis ABCs (II) / Detroit Stars (II)" $Right bar:BBS from:1933 till:1934 color:brown text:"Baltimore Black Sox (I)" $Right bar:HOM from:1934 till:1939 color:sand text:"Homestead Grays" $Right2 bar:HOM from:1939 till:1949 color:sand text:"Washington Homestead Grays / Washington Grays" $Right2 bar:PHI from:1934 till:1949 color:orange text:"Philadelphia Stars" $Right2 bar:NWD from:1934 till:1936 color:navy text:"Newark Dodgers" $Right bar:ATC from:1934 till:1935 color:gray2 text:"Philadelphia Bacharach Giants" $Right bar:CLE from:1934 till:1935 color:darkred text:"Cleveland Red Sox" $Right bar:BS2 from:1934 till:1935 color:lgray text:"Baltimore Black Sox (II)" $Right bar:NYC from:1935 till:1937 color:red2 text:" " $Right bar:NYC from:1939 till:1949 color:red2 text:"New York Cubans" $Right2 bar:BRK from:1935 till:1936 color:blue text:"Brooklyn Eagles" $Right bar:NWK from:1936 till:1949 color:redorange text:"Newark Eagles" $Right2 bar:NYB from:1936 till:1949 color:gold text:"New York Black Yankees" $Right2 bar:WAS from:1938 till:1939 color:teal2 text:"Washington Black Senators" $Right *1933: Formation of the second Negro National League, consisting of 7 teams — Baltimore Black Sox, Cole's American Giants, Columbus Blue Birds, Indianapolis ABCs (II) (moved to Detroit in April), Homestead Grays, Nashville Elite Giants and Pittsburgh Crawfords; Homestead was expelled early in the season for raiding Detroit's roster, Columbus was replaced mid-season by the Akron Black Tyrites who were then replaced by the Cleveland Giants. *1934: Dropped Cleveland Giants, Detroit Stars, Baltimore Black Sox (I); Added Philadelphia Bacharach Giants, Cleveland Red Sox, Philadelphia Stars and Baltimore Black Sox (II); Retained Homestead Grays as an associate team. *1935: Dropped Philadelphia Bacharach Giants, Baltimore Black Sox (II) and Cleveland Red Sox; Added Brooklyn Eagles, Homestead Grays, New York Cubans and Newark Dodgers. *1936: Dropped Cole's American Giants; Brooklyn and Newark merged. *1937: Dropped New York Cubans; Added New York Black Yankees. *1938: Added Washington Black Senators. *1939: Dropped Pittsburgh Crawfords and Washington Black Senators; Re-added New York Cubans. *1948: League disbanded after completion of season; All teams continued on with Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newark and New York Cubans joining the

for the 1949 season, while the Grays and Black Yankees playing independent of a league.

League champions

Pennant winners

From 1937 and 1938, 1940, and 1942 through 1946, the team in first place at the end of the season was declared the pennant winner (league champion). Due to the unorthodox nature of the schedule (and little incentive to enforce it), some teams frequently played many more games than others did in any given season. In 1933, Cole's Chicago American Giants claimed the first half title, but the Pittsburgh Crawfords won the second half and had an overall better record. The following year saw the Stars have a better winning percentage that saw them compete against the third place Chicago team despite the fact Pittsburgh played (and won) more games. This led to some disputed championships and two teams claiming the title. Generally, the team with the best

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

(with some minimum number of games played) was awarded the pennant, but other times it was the team with the most victories. The "

games behind In most North American sports, the phrase games behind or games back (often abbreviated GB) is a common way to reflect the gap between a leading team and another team in a sports league, conference, or division. Example In the below standings fr ...

" method of recording standings was uncommon in most black leagues. † – Pennant was decided via a split-season schedule with the winner of the first half of the season playing the winner of the second half of the season.
* – Pennant was decided via a 2-round play-off between the top four teams.
‡ – Pennant winner went on to play in the

Negro World Series The Negro World Series was a post-season baseball tournament that was held from 1924 to 1927 and from 1942 to 1948 between the champions of the Negro leagues, matching the mid-western winners against their east-coast counterparts. The series was ...

League play-offs

On five occasions, the League held a postseason series to determine the pennant champion. 1933 would have been the first to match the first and second half champions, but the Pittsburgh Crawfords were instead awarded the pennant over the first half champion

Chicago American Giants The Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball. Owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" ...

. 1936 had an array of games that may or may not have been formal postseason games. For example, the Washington Elite Giants won the first half after beating the Philadelphia Stars 7–5 in a one-game match on September 17. Pittsburgh (who had a better record overall) faced the Newark Eagles from September 12–15 and won 3–1–1 in either a second-half playoff or a regular series-turned-playoff. Washington and Pittsburgh played three games from September 21–27, but no box scores exist for the games (which Washington won two of three) in a series that was evidently abandoned. In one year (1939), the top four teams ( Homestead Grays,

, Philadelphia Stars) were matched together in a best-of-five tournament. The Grays beat the Stars in five games while the Elite Giants beat the Eagles in four games to set up the Championship Series. The New York Cubans won the second half of the 1947 season but advanced to the

over the Newark Eagles (first half champions). 1948 ended prematurely after a controversial finish to a disputed tie game in the third game.

Negro World Series

For the duration of the league, a Negro World Series took place seven times, from 1942 through 1948. The Negro National League's pennant winner met the champion of the rival

. Five out of the seven years, the Negro National League team (below in bold) prevailed. * 1942 –

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930 ...

beat Washington Homestead Grays, 4 games to 0 games * 1943 – Washington Homestead Grays beat

Birmingham Black Barons The Birmingham Black Barons were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1920 until 1960. They shared their home field of Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, with the white Birmingham Barons, usually drawing larger crowds and equal pre ...

, 4 games to 3 games *

– Washington Homestead Grays beat Birmingham Black Barons, 4 games to 1 game * 1945 –

Cleveland Buckeyes The Cleveland Buckeyes were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1942 to 1950 in the Negro American League. The Buckeyes played in two Negro World Series, defeating the Washington Homestead Grays in 1945, and losing to the New York Cu ...

beat Washington Homestead Grays, 4 games to 0 games *

– Newark Eagles beat Kansas City Monarchs, 4 games to 3 games *

– New York Cubans beat Cleveland Buckeyes, 4 games to 1 game *

– Washington Homestead Grays beat Birmingham Black Barons, 4 games to 1 game

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Negro National League (1933-1948) Negro baseball leagues Defunct baseball leagues in the United States African-American sports history Defunct professional sports leagues in the United States Sports leagues established in 1933 Sports leagues disestablished in 1948 1933 establishments in the United States 1948 disestablishments in the United States