The Bingo Long Traveling All Stars & Motor Kings

The Bingo Long Traveling AllStars amp Motor Kings 1976 is a comedic sports film about a team of enterprising exNegro League baseball players in the era of racial segregation. Loosely based upon William Brashlers novel of the same name, it starred Billy Dee Williams, James Earl Jones and Richard Pryor. Directed by John Badham, the movie was produced by Berry Gordy for Motown Productions and Rob Cohen for Universal Pictures, and released by Universal on July 16, 1976.

Bingos team becomes so outlandishly entertaining and successful, it begins to cut into the attendance of the established Negro League teams. Finally, Bingos nemesis Potter is forced to propose a winnertakeall game if Bingos team can beat a bunch of allstars, it can join the league, but if it loses, the players will return to their old teams. Potter has two of his goons kidnap Leon prior to the game as insurance, but he escapes and is key to his sides victory.Ironically, there is a major league scout in the audience. After the game, he offers Esquire Joe the chance to break the color barrier with Bingos blessing, he accepts. Leon glumly foresees the decline of the Negro League as more players follow Esquire Joes lead, but Bingo, ever the optimist, cheers him up by describing the wild promotional stunts he intends to stage to bring in the paying customers. ........

Source: Wikipedia