The first woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, there was no one like Effa Manley in the sports world of the 1930s and 1940s. She was a sophisticated woman who owned a baseball team. She never shrank from going head to head with men, who dominated the ranks of sports executives and considered sports their exclusive domain. That her life story has remained unchronicled can only be attributed to one thing: her team, the Newark Eagles, belonged to the Negro Baseball League. This book furthers a growing awareness of black baseball before integration and profiles many of the other highly-competitive owners in the Negro league. It also describes a thriving black community in Newark that took the Newark Eagles into their hearts, creating a fascinating relationship between a community and their sports team. This book was the first to draw extensively on Eagle team records, left behind by Mrs. Manley when she left Newark in the 1950s, and rediscovered nearly intact thirty-five years later. The files are the most comprehensive source of information about the Newark Eagles. They reconstruct the relationship between the baseball team and the community to an extent never thought to be possible. Also included is material from Mrs. Manley's scrapbook chronicling her days as a baseball owner and an active home front volunteer during World War II. Her scrapbook is now part of the collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This important work shines the spotlight on a previously unsung segment of baseball history. Originally published in cloth as Effa Manley and the Newark Eagles, No. 1 in the American Sports History Series. Reviews of the Original Edition: '...a book that speaks volumes about the history of all of us who grew up in Newark at a time when the city stood for something very different. It's a dandy read.' _NEWARK STAR-LEDGER '...the story of a dynamic woman who, with her husband, owned the New Jersey team in the Negro National League...Recommended.' _LIBRARY JOURNAL '...makes good use of team financial records in fashioning a revealing 'business biography'...excellent contribution...' _JOURNAL OF SPORT HISTORY '...a thorough, 279-page look at a fascinating figure nearly entirely overlooked by baseball historians...What Overmyer uncovered was a story so unique, and captivating that it's remarkable no other biography has brought Effa Manley to light. ..destined to take its place alongside the great baseball writings of all time. It is a valuable examination of an important part of history too often overlooked...' _SPORT AUTHORITY