Abstract
This article examines the beginning years of the National Basketball League (NBL). The league evolved from the Midwest Conference, a loosely knit league of eight teams that operated from 1935–37, largely in the Upper Midwest, but also encompassing at times, Buffalo, New York; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Windsor, Ontario. The league set rules for a minimum number of games, but these rules were broken early and often, as the league adjusted to the reality of the social and economic conditions of the Depression. Teams came and went in the two years of that league's existence. In 1937, the NBL was created from the remains of the Midwest Conference. The league lasted until 1949 when it merged with the Basketball Association of America (BAA) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). The NBL was, thus, successful in sustaining itself in one form or another for twelve years through the remainder of the Depression and World War II. A number of questions about the league's formative years are addressed. What constituted the league's members and owners? How did the teams and players manage to make economic ends meet? What 'marketing strategies' were utilized in each of the cities that had teams to appeal to local fans, and how successful were those strategies? How did the players and the teams integrate into the social and economic fabric of the communities in which they played?
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