Negro League stadiums, including historical Rickwood Field, you can visit

Senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram has more on the "Say Hey Kid."

The Negro National League was founded in 1920 during a time of segregation in the United States. 

The league gained traction through the 1930s and '40s. In 1944, Jackie Robinson, who played for the Negro League, became the first player in the modern era to join MLB, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. 

After that, many more stars from the Negro League were invited to MLB.

Rickwood Field is one of few fields used in the Negro leagues that are still functional today. (Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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Today, many of the stadiums used in the Negro League no longer exist, though there are some that have remained. Numerous fields have been renovated and are still used today for local events. 

One field that is still in use is Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. This field was home to the Birmingham Black Barons, the team Willie Mays, who died on June 18, 2024, played on before joining the New York Giants.

Rickwood Field is the oldest professional ballpark in the United States, according to the Associated Press.

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Read on to learn about the stadiums around the country that used to be home fields of teams in the Negro leagues.

Downs Field in Austin, Texas, is currently used by the Huston-Tillotson Rams College baseball team, according to MLB.com. 

The Austin Black Senators called this field their home park beginning in 1927, according to Visit Austin.

Pitcher Satchel Paige was one of many prominent players in the Negro leagues. (Getty Images)

Today, the park is full of murals by local artists that