Monett has long been known for baseball, with local and semi-professional teams in the early 1900s. A team called the Athletics played until the spring of 1910, when it was renamed Rolleg's Midgets after Joplin player Grant Rolleg, and in 1910 the team compiled a record of 54 wins and 7 losses. Games charged admission and players were paid, and spectators caught sneaking through the fences to watch could be arrested. In the late 1920s, the Bellview Baseball Team, organized by Onis Wilks, played on North 9th Street, and some teams included high school students playing as semi-professionals. In the early to late 1930s, Monett also had a St. Louis Cardinals farm team called the Monett Redbirds, which gave local players a chance to display their skills and pursue major league baseball. Two players from that team's lineup were Ervin Dusak and Buzz Arlett, both of whom had major league playing time before and after leaving Monett.