Historical Events Contributing Up to the Creation of Major League Baseball

Baseball is Americans true past time. Fans gather and cheer on their favorite team throughout the season and discuss the sport when talking with friends, family, and co-workers. The first beginnings of baseball could be traced way to the 1700s. During that time, the overall game was a little different, not commercialized, plus the rules varied. The concepts, however, were pretty much the same. Since the sport became popular, semi-pro baseball clubs started to develop pretty much within the 1860′s.
The New York Knickerbockers were the very first team to play the game using modern day rules. Their club was formed in 1845 and was made up of people from the upper middle-class of recent York. It was a social club that played the sport like a activity. They were amateurs and not a professional organization. Club members followed a set of rules called the “Knickerbocker Rules.” These rules mostly pertained to organization issues but also specified game rules. Earlier practices allowed players to become tagged out by a thrown ball. The New York Knickerbockers prohibited this type of play and made rules for tagging that are similar to current baseball tagging guidelines. These rules were put in place to avoid arguments and fights that the original method often created.
As of 1857, there were about sixteen baseball teams within the NY area. They gathered to form the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP). This marks the start of organized baseball. It had also been the very first organization to create a championship for the sport. During the Civil War, membership grew tremendously. By 1867, there were four-hundred or more clubs within the organization. These clubs were all over the country and reached as far as California. It wasn’t until 1869 that professional play was recognized and allowed.
Professional baseball did not become widespread until about the 1870′s. At that time the amateur and professional players separated. A brand new association called the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players was formed for those professional teams. This association remained in existence for about four years and was the early beginnings of the major leagues. Contracts could be enforced through the clubs which prevented players from straying off to other clubs. Clubs also needed to play all scheduled games even after they were out of the championship. During this period, clubs made a contract that denied non-white players the ability to play professional baseball which remained in effect until 1947.
Many leagues formed in the following years and many disbanded shortly after. The American League and National Leagues prevailed through the struggle. Their competitive contract offers to players created large bidding wars that forced baseball contracts to be broken from coast to coast. Both of these leagues along with the national association signed an agreement that established dominance over major league baseball and developed the World Series. The agreement prevented independents from buying out the best players within the major league. Bidding wars were largely eliminated. Eventually many of the independent leagues joined the NA to prevent pilfering, gambling, and other issues. Take a look at Leo-wells-on-sports.com to see much more about baseball and see his discussions on current baseball events.
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