All Nations was a

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in t ...

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

team that toured the Midwest from 1912 to 1918, and again in 1920 "No-Hit Contest for Andy Graves" Omaha World Herald, Omaha, NE, May 8, 1920, Page 5, Column 2
/ref> and 1921,"Murphy Did-Its Take Two from All-Nations" Omaha World Herald, Omaha, NE, April 17, 1921, Page 7, Column 2
/ref> and from 1923 to 1925. It derived its name from the fact that its team included players of several nationalities, including blacks and whites, Indians, Hawaiians, Japanese and Latin Americans. The team was founded by the Hopkins Brothers sporting goods stores. One day, however, the team's manager absconded with the daily gate proceeds.

J. L. Wilkinson J Leslie Wilkinson (May 14, 1878 – August 21, 1964) was an American sports executive who founded the All Nations baseball club in 1912, and the Negro league baseball team Kansas City Monarchs in 1920. Early life Born in Algona, Iowa, Wilkinso ...

, who played for the team, replaced him as manager, later becoming owner as well. The team was based out of

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

and

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

Under the management of Wilkinson, the All Nations' approach to the game was more serious than that of many teams who followed

Abe Saperstein Abraham Michael Saperstein (; July 4, 1902 – March 15, 1966) was the founder, owner and earliest coach of the Harlem Globetrotters. Saperstein was a leading figure in black basketball and baseball from the 1920s through the 1950s, primarily bef ...

's farcical approach. They did however provide additional entertainment for their audiences, including having a

dance band ''Dance Band'' is a 1935 British musical film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Charles "Buddy" Rogers, June Clyde and Steven Geray. It was shot at Welwyn Studios with sets designed by the art director David Rawnsley. Plot When dance band ...

to play before the games and

wrestlers Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat spor ...

Ben Reeves Benjamin Neil Reeves (born 19 November 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder, most recently for League Two club Gillingham. Born in England, he has been capped twice for the Northern Ireland national team. Club career ...

to perform after their games."Pitcher Fans 21 Jacksons" Superior Tribune, Superior, Wisconsin, June 17, 1912, Page 9, Column 5
/ref> Wilkinson transported the team from location to location in a $25,000

Pullman car In the United States, Pullman was used to refer to railroad sleeping cars that were built and operated on most U.S. railroads by the Pullman Company (founded by George Pullman) from 1867 to December 31, 1968. Other uses Pullman also refers to rai ...

, which also held portable

bleacher Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a row ...

s which would be set up for the game. He did not pay for rooms for his players, however, instead having them sleep the night before the game in tents they brought with them on the field on which they would play. Under Wilkinson, the team became "strong enough to give any major league club a nip and tuck battle", according to '' Sporting Life''. It went 3-1 against the

Indianapolis ABC's Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mario ...

in 1916 and splitting a series with the

Chicago American Giants The Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball. Owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" Fo ...

. The team encountered difficulties during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, when it found most of its better players were drafted, and was finally disbanded in 1918. Pitcher John Donaldson managed the All Nations from 1923 to 1924. The All Nations were still owned by J.L. Wilkinson and was used as a traveling team that trained inexperienced players and found talent in the Midwest.

Notable players

References

Jose Mendez
- Baseball Biography
Don't Look Back: Satchel Paige in the Shadows of Baseball By Mark Ribowsky
*Riley, James A. ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues.'' New York:Carroll & Graf, 1994. . {{Authority control Negro league baseball teams Sports in the Kansas City metropolitan area Professional baseball teams in Iowa Defunct baseball teams in Missouri Baseball teams disestablished in 1925 Baseball teams established in 1912