Editing Major League Baseball (section)

====Other recognized leagues====
Several other early defunct baseball leagues are considered major leagues, and their statistics and records are included with those of the two modern major leagues. In 1969, the Special Baseball Records Committee of Major League Baseball officially recognized six major leagues: the National League, American League, American Association, [[Union Association]] (1884), [[Players' League]] (1890), and [[Federal League]] (1914–1915).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.artvoice.com/2020/12/16/major-league-baseball-finally-elevates-the-negro-leagues-to-major-league-officially-recognizing-their-statistical-records/ |title=Major League Baseball finally elevates the Negro Leagues to "Major League" officially recognizing their statistical records |website=artvoice.com |date=December 16, 2020 |access-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184435/https://www.artvoice.com/2020/12/16/major-league-baseball-finally-elevates-the-negro-leagues-to-major-league-officially-recognizing-their-statistical-records/}}</ref> The status of the National Association as a major league has been a point of dispute among baseball researchers; while its statistics are not recognized by Major League Baseball, its statistics ''are'' included with those of other major leagues by some baseball reference websites, such as [[Retrosheet]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.retrosheet.org/chronology.htm |title=Team Chronology |website=[[Retrosheet]] |access-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183016/https://www.retrosheet.org/chronology.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Some researchers, including [[Nate Silver]], dispute the major-league status of the Union Association by pointing out that franchises came and went and that the St. Louis club was deliberately "stacked"; the St. Louis club was owned by the league's president and it was the only club that was close to major-league caliber.<ref name="union">{{cite web|url=http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=324|title=NerdFight: League Quality Adjustments|publisher=[[Baseball Prospectus]]|access-date=September 8, 2008|author=Silver, Nate|year=2007|author-link=Nate Silver |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212060727/http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=324|archive-date=December 12, 2007}}</ref>

In December 2020, Major League Baseball announced its recognition of seven leagues within [[Negro league baseball]] as major leagues: the [[Negro National League (1920–1931)|first]] and [[Negro National League (1933–1948)|second Negro National Leagues]] (1920–1931 and 1933–1948), the [[Eastern Colored League]] (1923–1928), the [[American Negro League]] (1929), the [[East–West League]] (1932), the [[Negro Southern League (1920–1936)|Negro Southern League]] (1932), and the [[Negro American League]] (1937–1948).<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-mlb-officially-designates-the-negro-leagues-as-major-league |title=MLB officially designates the Negro Leagues as 'Major League' |website=MLB.com |publisher=Major League Baseball |date=December 16, 2020 |access-date=July 4, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 16, 2020 |title=Former Negro Leagues player says MLB recognition confirms what players already knew |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/16/us/negro-leagues-major-league-baseball-spt/index.html |access-date=February 12, 2025 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> In 2021, baseball reference website [[Baseball-Reference.com]] began to include statistics from those seven leagues into their major-league statistics.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/negro-leagues-are-major-leagues.shtml |title=The Negro Leagues Are Major Leagues |website=[[Baseball-Reference.com]] |access-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-date=March 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301011018/https://www.baseball-reference.com/negro-leagues-are-major-leagues.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2024, Major League Baseball announced that it was "absorbing the available Negro Leagues numbers into the official historical record."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/faq-negro-leagues-stats-major-league-record |title=What to know about Negro Leagues stats entering MLB record |first=Anthony |last=Castrovince |website=MLB.com |date=May 29, 2024 |accessdate=May 29, 2024}}</ref>