West Coast Negro Baseball Association facts for kids

The West Coast Negro Baseball Association (WCNBA) was a special baseball league. It was created in 1946 for African-American players. At that time, baseball was segregated. This meant Black players could not play in the main leagues. The WCNBA was a 'minor league' on the West Coast. Famous people like Abe Saperstein and Jesse Owens helped start it. But the league only lasted for about three months.

Why the League Started

During World War II (in the mid-1940s), many African-American families moved. They moved to places like California, Oregon, and Washington. This was because there were many jobs in shipyards and military factories. After the war ended in 1945, there were more Black people living on the West Coast.

Two people, Eddie Harris and David P. Portlock, saw a need. They wanted to create a baseball league for Black players in this area. They planned to use the same stadiums as the main minor league teams. These stadiums were empty when the main teams were traveling.

Famous Founders

Harris and Portlock asked Abe Saperstein for help. Saperstein already owned a traveling baseball team. It was called the Cincinnati Crescents. He moved his team to Seattle and renamed them the Seattle Steelheads.

Saperstein also knew Jesse Owens. Owens was a very famous athlete. He won four gold medals in track and field at the Olympics. Saperstein asked Owens to join their plan. Owens then helped create the Portland Rosebuds team in Oregon.

Saperstein became the president of the new league. Owens was the vice-president, and Portlock was the secretary. They planned a long season with 110 games.

Why the League Ended Quickly

Even with big plans, the West Coast Negro Baseball Association only lasted about three months. Most teams played fewer than 30 games. The league had to stop because of a few problems:

• Not enough people came to watch the games.
• The league did not have enough money.
• It was hard to get access to the baseball stadiums.

After the league stopped, the Seattle and Oakland teams kept playing. They played against local teams in other parts of the country.

Teams in the League

The WCNBA was supposed to have six teams. These teams were in cities that also had main minor league stadiums. One team was first planned for Fresno. Fresno was not a main league city. That team later moved its main base to San Diego. But they did play at least one game in Fresno.

In the short season, the Oakland Larks played very well. The Seattle Steelheads and San Francisco Sea Lions also had good records. The teams from San Diego, Portland, and Los Angeles were at the bottom of the standings.