The National Baseball Congress of

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

is an organization of 17

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

and semi-

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 ...

leagues operating in the United States and Canada. Since its founding in 1935 by Hap Dumont, it has conducted an annual North American championship tournament among its members, The National Baseball Congress World Series has been held annually since 1935, at Wichita's

Lawrence–Dumont Stadium Lawrence–Dumont Stadium, previously known as Lawrence Stadium, was a baseball stadium in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It was located on the northwest corner of McLean Boulevard and Maple Street, along the west bank of the Arkansas River, in ...

through 2018; at

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

Eck Stadium Eck Stadium is a baseball stadium in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is located on the south side of 21st Street between Hillside and Oliver on the campus of Wichita State University in northeast Wichita. The stadium is home of the Wichit ...

in 2019; and jointly at Eck Stadium and Wichita's

Riverfront Stadium Riverfront Stadium, also known as Cinergy Field from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States that was the home of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball from 1970 through 2002 and the Cincinnati Bengals o ...

starting in 2020.

History

Dumont said he was inspired to start the league after seeing a huge crowd for the circus clown-firemen baseball game in Wichita (the clowns were not allowed to perform on Sundays because of

blue laws Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws and Sunday closing laws, are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for religious reasons ...

). In 1931, he started the ''National Semi-Pro Baseball Congress Kansas State Tournament'' on former

Ackerman Island Ackerman Island was a sandbar island located in the Arkansas River in downtown Wichita, Kansas, United States. It was located on the north side of the Douglas Street Bridge. History The sandbar started to form in the 1870s, supposedly due to a d ...

in Wichita (located a few blocks north of Lawrence Stadium). After a fire destroyed the old wood stadium, the city built the Lawrence Stadium on its present site. In 1935, he offered

Satchel Paige Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction in ...

$1,000 to bring his touring

Bismarck Churchills The Bismarck team was an integrated semi-professional baseball team based in Bismarck, North Dakota, in the 1930s. The team played independently of any league because its mixed-race roster was a problem in a period of segregation, and because ther ...

from

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck () is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the state's second-most populous city, after Fargo. The city's population was 73,622 in the 2020 census, while its metropolitan popula ...

to Wichita. Paige struck out 60 batters and won four games. With the rise of Minor League Baseball, the league now is for amateur athletes.

Leagues

, there are 17 member leagues.

Championships

The first National Baseball Congress World Series was held in 1935. * In 1948, the

London Majors The London Majors are an independent, minor league baseball team of the Intercounty Baseball League. The team was founded in 1925, and is based in London, Ontario. They play their home games at the 5,200 seat Labatt Memorial Park. Team history ...

defeated Fort Wayne in the best-of-seven-game Can-Am Congress Series, 4-3.

Graduate of the Year

Many players have gone to professional teams. Since 1975 the NBC has recognized a "Graduate of the Year".

References

External links