The Athens Colored Elites were one of Oakland's African American baseball teams which, between WWI and WWII, were a part of the California African-American communities hosting semi-pro baseball teams.

The Mercury News described the Athens Colored Elites' style as "flashy type of baseball." Oakland's finest semi-pro black ballclub represented the Athens Athletic Club, which stood on Clay Street in downtown Oakland. The Mercury News also called the Elites, "one of the finest colored baseball teams on the coast É highlighted by clockwork teamwork." The Elites were led by slugger Jim Lane, called the "bronze Babe Ruth," and Wilson Record, who also played with the Detroit Stars. During the Great Depression, these Northern California black ball clubs started to fold. But they were reborn after World War II, albeit briefly, as The West Coast Baseball Association (WCBA)." 1

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