History of America’s
Favorite Pastime
Presented By: April Kroll
ETE 100 Sec. 03
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Baseball in the Beginning
Americans began playing baseball in the early 1800s.
By the 1860s, the sport had unmatchable popularity, and
became known as America’s national pastime.
Official rules of the game were later formalized and
documented in the late 1800s.
Timeline of Establishing Leagues
1869: Cincinnati Red Stockings
became the first salaried team.
Therefore are considered the
first professional team.
1871: The first professional baseball
league, the National Association of
Professional Base Ball Players, was
formed.
1876: The first major league, the
National League, was formed.
History of American League
The American League is one of two leagues that make up
Major League Baseball (MLB).
Developed from a minor league called the Western League
Received major league status in 1900
Starting in 1901, the eight teams that made up the American
League were the following:
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Americans
Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Blues
Detroit Tigers
Milwaukee Brewers
Philadelphia Athletics
Washington Senators
History of National League
The National League in 1876 consisted
of seven teams:
St. Louis Brown Stockings
Hartford Dark Blues
Boston Red Caps
Louisville Grays
New York Mutuals
Philadelphia Athletics
Cincinnati Reds
National league was known as being a
more traditional or pure league
In 1903, the champions of the two
leagues met in the World Series
In 1994, the league was divided into
three divisions: East, West and Central
African Americans Role In Baseball
African Americans were not permitted to play on professional
white baseball teams.
Therefore in the late 1800s, Professional African-American
teams and "negro leagues" were established.
Interracial games occurred when major league white teams played
black teams in exhibition games.
First African American in Professional
Baseball
In 1942, Dodger’s
manager and owner began
plans to bring black players
to the team.
Jackie Robinson officially
broke the color boundary
in the major league when
he put on a Dodgers
uniform in April 1947.
Influential Players Of The Past
Babe Ruth
Nickname: Great
Bambino
Dominant hitter and
pitcher
In 1919 hit 29 homeruns
shattering records
Hit homerun in every
park in his league
In the Hall of Fame
Influential Players Of The Past Contd.
Nolan Ryan
Most dominating and
intimidating pitcher of the
game
Enjoyed longest career of
any player in major
league history
Won his 300th game in
1990
Achieved his 5,000th
career strikeout in1989
Made it on the All
Century Team in 1999
Influential Players Of The Past Contd.
Hank Aaron
Baseball’s home run king
Received the Medal of
Freedom George W. Bush
to honor the achievements
despite poverty and racism
From 1954 to 1976, Aaron
hit 20 or more HRs in 20
seasons and hit 30 or more
in 15 seasons. Those two
feats have never been
equaled .
Hall of Fame
Baseball Today
Today, baseball teams
can be found in most
communities, large or
small, made up of
people of different ages
and races.
Different leagues are
available depending on
age and experience
Still America’s favorite
pastime