One half mile north, the Monroe Monarchs played Negro League baseball at Casino Park. Owned by local oil and machine works businessman Fred A. Stovall, the Monarchs became champions of the Negro Southern League in 1932 and played in the Negro League World Series, losing to the Pittsburgh Crawfords. Despite their success, the Monarchs were excluded from Negro League realignment in 1933. During their short time, the Monarchs launched the Hall of Fame careers of Hilton Smith and Willard Brown.