| League |
Sport |
First Season |
Last Season |
Notes
|
| National Association |
Baseball |
1871 |
1875 |
Superseded by National League.
|
| National League |
Baseball |
1876 |
1999 |
Superseded National Association. Renamed National League and American Association in 1892. Returned to National League in 1904. Merged with American League as Major League Baseball in 2000.
|
| American Association |
Baseball |
1882 |
1891 |
Merged into National League as National League and American Association in 1892.
|
| Union Association |
Baseball |
1884 |
1884 |
Merged into National League in 1885.
|
| Players' National League |
Baseball |
1890 |
1890 |
Merged into American Association in 1891.
|
| American League |
Baseball |
1901 |
1999 |
Merged with National League as Major League Baseball in 2000.
|
| National Football League |
American football |
1902 |
1902 |
|
| Eastern Football Conference |
Canadian football |
1907 |
1980 |
Named Interprovincial Rugby Football Union until 1960. League did not play 1916-1918 seasons. League did not play 1941-1944 seasons. Merged with Western Football Conference as Canadian Football League in 1981.
|
| Canadian Hockey Association |
Ice hockey |
1909-10 |
1909-10 |
Merged into National Hockey Association of Canada mid-season 1909-10.
|
| National Hockey Association of Canada |
Ice hockey |
1910 |
1916-17 |
Absorbed Canadian Hockey Association mid-season 1910. Superseded by National Hockey League.
|
| Pacific Coast Hockey Association |
Ice hockey |
1912 |
1923-24 |
Merged into Western Canada Hockey League in 1924-25.
|
| Federal League |
Baseball |
1914 |
1915 |
Merged into National League in 1916.
|
| Negro National League |
Negro baseball |
1920 |
1931 |
|
| Western Hockey League |
Ice hockey |
1921-22 |
1925-26 |
Named Western Canada Hockey League until 1925-26.
|
| Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Clubs |
Negro baseball |
1923 |
1928 |
|
| American Basketball League |
Basketball |
1925-26 |
1930-31 |
|
| American Football League |
American football |
1926 |
1926 |
|
| American Negro League |
Baseball |
1929 |
1929 |
|
| American Hockey League |
Ice hockey |
1930 |
1932 |
|
| International Professional Lacrosse League |
Box lacrosse |
1931 |
1932 |
|
| American Box Lacrosse League |
Outdoor box lacrosse |
1932 |
1932 |
|
| East-West League |
Negro baseball |
1932 |
1932 |
|
| Negro Southern League |
Negro baseball |
1932 |
1932 |
|
| Negro National League |
Negro baseball |
1933 |
1948 |
|
| American Basketball League |
Basketball |
1933-34 |
1952-53 |
|
| National Basketball League |
Basketball |
1935-36 |
1948-49 |
Named Midwest Basketball Conference until 1935-36. Merged with Basketball Association of America as National Basketball Association in 1949-50.
|
| American Football League |
American football |
1936 |
1937 |
|
| Western Football Conference |
Canadian football |
1936 |
1980 |
Named Western Interprovincial Football Union until 1961. League did not play 1942-1944 seasons. Merged with Eastern Football Conference as Canadian Football League in 1981.
|
| Negro American League |
Negro baseball |
1937 |
1948 |
|
| American Football League |
American football |
1940 |
1941 |
|
| Eastern Rugby Football Union |
Canadian football |
1941 |
1941 |
|
| American Girls Baseball League |
Women's softball/baseball |
1943 |
1954 |
Named All-American Girls Softball League until mid-season 1943. Named All-American Girls Baseball League until 1944. Named All-American Girls Professional Baseball League until 1946. Named All-American Girls Baseball League until 1951.
|
| All-America Football Conference |
American football |
1946 |
1949 |
Merged into National Football League as National-American Football League in 1950-51.
|
| Basketball Association of America |
Basketball |
1946-47 |
1948-49 |
Merged with National Basketball League as National Basketball Association in 1949-50.
|
| Professional Basketball League of America |
Basketball |
1947-48 |
1947-48 |
|
| National Professional Basketball League |
Basketball |
1950-51 |
1950-51 |
|
| American Football League |
American football |
1960-61 |
1969-70 |
Merged into National Football League.
|
| American Basketball League |
Basketball |
1961-62 |
1962-63 |
|
| American Basketball Association |
Basketball |
1967-68 |
1975-76 |
Merged into National Basketball Association in 1976-77.
|
| National Professional Soccer League |
Association football |
1967 |
1967 |
Merged with United Soccer Association as North American Soccer League in 1968.
|
| United Soccer Association |
Association football |
1967 |
1967 |
Merged with National Professional Soccer League as North American Soccer League in 1968.
|
| National Lacrosse Association |
Box lacrosse |
1968 |
1968 |
|
| North American Soccer League |
Association football
Indoor association football |
1968 |
1984 |
Formed by merger of National Professional Soccer League and United Soccer Association. Indoor season played formally 1979-80, did not play 1982-83, folded after 1983-84.
|
| World Hockey Association |
Ice hockey |
1972-73 |
1978-79 |
Merged into National Hockey League in 1979-80.
|
| National Lacrosse League |
Box lacrosse |
1974 |
1975 |
|
| World Football League |
American football |
1974 |
1975 |
|
| Major Soccer League |
Indoor association football |
1978-79 |
1991-92 |
Named Major Indoor Soccer League until 1990-91.
|
| Women's Pro Basketball League |
Women's basketball |
1978-79 |
1980-81 |
|
| United States Football League |
American football |
1983 |
1985 |
|
| National Professional Soccer League |
Indoor association football |
1984-85 |
2000-01 |
Named American Indoor Soccer Association until 1990-91.
|
| Major Indoor Lacrosse League |
Box lacrosse |
1987 |
1997 |
Named Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League until 1989. Merged into successor National Lacrosse League in 1998.
|
| American Lacrosse League |
Field lacrosse |
1988 |
1988 |
|
| NFL Europa |
American football |
1991 |
2007 |
Named World League of American Football until 1992. League did not play 1993-1994 seasons. Named World League until 1998. Named NFL Europe League until 2007.
|
| Continental Indoor Soccer League |
Indoor association football |
1993 |
1997 |
|
| American Basketball League |
Women's basketball |
1996-97 |
1998-99 |
|
| World Indoor Soccer League |
Indoor association football |
1998 |
2001 |
Named Premier Soccer Alliance until 1999.
|
| Major League Lacrosse |
Field lacrosse |
2001 |
2020 |
Merged into Premier Lacrosse League in 2021.
|
| Women's United Soccer Association |
Women's association football |
2001 |
2003 |
|
| XFL |
American football |
2001 |
2001 |
|
| Major Indoor Soccer League |
Indoor association football |
2001-02 |
2007-08 |
|
| Major Indoor Soccer League |
Indoor association football |
2008-09 |
2013-14 |
Named National Indoor Soccer League until 2009-10.
|
| Xtreme Soccer League |
Indoor association football |
2008-09 |
2008-09 |
|
| United Football League |
American football |
2009 |
2012 |
|
| Women's Professional Soccer |
Women's association football |
2009 |
2011 |
|
| Premier Hockey Federation |
Women's ice hockey |
2015-16 |
2022-23 |
Named National Women's Hockey League until 2021-22. Merged into successor Professional Women's Hockey League in 2024 but without its teams or history recognized.
|
| Alliance of American Football |
American football |
2019 |
2019 |
|
| XFL |
American football |
2020 |
2023 |
League did not play 2021-2022 seasons. Merged with United States Football League as United Football League in 2024.
|
| United States Football League |
American football |
2022 |
2023 |
Merged with XFL as United Football League in 2024.
|