| Classification | Minor league |
|---|---|
| Sport | Negro league baseball |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Ceased | 1946 |
| Country | United States |
TheUnited States League (USL), alternately called theUnited States Baseball League, was one of the severalNegro baseball leagues created during the time organized baseball was segregated. The USL was organized as a minor league in 1945 byBranch Rickey to serve as a platform to scout black players.
In 1945,Branch Rickey anticipated the integration of black players into Major League Baseball. Along withGus Greenlee, the owner of the originalPittsburgh Crawfords, he created the USL as to scout black players who might break the color line. It is unclear if the league played a 1945 season or was only a pretense for integration.[1] Rickey signedJackie Robinson, who never played in the USL, in October of that year. The 1946 season lasted a few weeks before the league folded. The next year, Robinson broke the Major League color line with Rickey'sBrooklyn Dodgers.
The league began in 1945 with at least six teams. Conflicting sources list the Boston Blues as a team in 1945 or only 1946. No standings or accounts exist for the 1945 season.[2] The Pittsburgh Crawfords, Philadelphia Hilldales and St. Louis Stars assumed the nicknames of unrelated defunct teams. The Brown Dodgers merged with the Clippers mid-season, just before the league folded.