[Cool Papa Bell]

Honestly, the only one being beyond ridiculous here is you. What kind of analogy is that? Not alive in 1920 discounts everything right? But decades of historians, hall of fame players and managers, major league baseball itself and all of the known compilers of MLB statistics are all saying the same thing. You don't agree with them. That's fine, everyone has an opinion.

No W's and L's in the statistics and standings that are being looked at include any barnstorming games whatsoever. The statistics are still being reviewed, I'm on a panel working with Baseball Reference to figure this out. You don't like that context, fine that's your opinion. Here is what they say at Baseball Reference, who I think has a bit higher knowledge of things than an accountant from Germany has about baseball in the United States. Nothing is going to change your mind and I don't really care to. Please note their comments about systemic racism and why the Negro Leagues were in a position that they were. They do not in any way align with what you are saying.

The Negro Leagues Are Major Leagues
We have dramatically expanded our coverage of the Negro Leagues and historical Black major league players. Major Negro Leagues (from 1920-1948) are now listed with the National League and American League as major leagues.

We are not bestowing a new status on these players or their accomplishments. The Negro Leagues have always been major leagues. We are changing our site's presentation to properly recognize this fact.

In keeping with our mission and values at Sports Reference, when it comes to this endeavor, our intent is to celebrate the players, teams, and leagues we are adding to our site, as well as to educate our users about the history of these leagues. The Negro Leagues are not less than the National and American Leagues. They are different, and we recognize that our work must acknowledge those differences.

Spurred on by thoughtful commentary on this matter last summer, we have been working diligently to incorporate this long overdue and critical part of our sport's history into our site. In December 2020, Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. similarly announced a new MLB policy, recognizing the Negro Leagues as major leagues. We implemented changes in a manner consistent with the major league level these leagues played at, acting with the utmost respect for the players, their families, the researchers and the fans of these leagues.

Although our work is heavily stats driven, we recognize that the history and the legend and lore of many of these players exist beyond the numbers. To celebrate that legacy, we have commissioned numerous articles from Negro League experts and others to explain this part of baseball history. We also strongly urge you to visit The Negro League Baseball Museum in-person or via their website.

The Negro Leagues data is not complete and thus, you'll notice that the Negro League seasons in our database feature fewer games than the National and American Leagues. A main reason for the missing data is that, unfortunately, while the quality of play in the Negro Leagues was on a major league level, the wages, travel, playing conditions, and record-keeping were not, primarily due to systemic racism. Additionally, Negro League teams played an extensive amount of barnstorming games. These contests were not part of their league schedule and are therefore not included in this database.

It's also important to remember that the history of the Negro Leagues does not start in 1920 or end in 1948 and even from 1920-1948 our presentation is shockingly incomplete. There were hundreds of teams and thousands of players that make up a more complete and richer history of Black Baseball than we are able to present here, and from 1920-1948 there were many star players and teams that found it more feasible to play only a barnstorming schedule rather than participate in leagues. These independent teams were often the equal of teams we are including as major league teams on the site now. Our complete register of baseball history contains a significant record of Independent and non-major Negro Leagues. For example, we have a page for the 1917 Chicago American Giants.

Rest assured that research is still ongoing, and we'll continue to publish updates as more information becomes available. As you return to the site in the future, you should expect significant changes and improvements in our coverage of the Negro Leagues as more research is done and more statistics are compiled.