Night ball drew full houses in the cool evenings and was a great success in the heartland. When the Monarchs played in Chicago, the Defender described the first night game in that city as "the most spectacular event in all of baseball history."

In 1929, J.L. Wilkinson mortgaged his property and borrowed to build baseball's first functional lighting system to facilitate night games.

He did it for the survival of his team. Working people, black and white, were unable to come to games during weekdays. He gambled that night games would increase attendance.

Although night ball was well received by fans, the players had mixed feelings about playing under the lights. The glare in their eyes made fielding difficult, the continuous noise of the motors made calls go unheard, and the guy-wires used to stabilize the 50 foot poles stretched across the outfield were hazardous.
(NLBM Collection)