Includes bibliographical references (pages 217-221) and index.

The storied history of the Indianapolis ABCs stretches back to a saloon team at the beginning of the twentieth century. Led by superstar Oscar Charleston (regarded by many as the finest of all Negro League players) and managed by C.I. Taylor, the ABCs laid claim to the 1916 black world championship and were one of black baseball's most competitive, longest-lived teams. By 1917, the ABCs were playing for a full schedule against top teams from all over the eastern United States. The ABCs were charter members of the Negro National League and hosted the league's inaugural game on May 2, 1920.

Player raids by teams from the Eastern Colored League, formed in 1923, hurt the ABCs and by the Depression the club was fading. The team was briefly resurrected as a Negro League team in the late 1930s, but was otherwise relegated to the semiprofessional ranks until its final game in 1940. Drawing from contemporary newspaper accounts, extensive research and player interviews, this is the story of the Indianapolis team and the rise of Negro League baseball. Team rosters, player statistics and biographies are included.

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