The History of Baseball

The game of baseball originall started in England and finally made its way in America through the early part of the 19th Century. The first baseball game took place in 1846, with the Knickerbockers taking on The New York Baseball Club in New Jersey. The very first baseball league was organized in 1857, consisting of twenty five teams, called The National Association of Baseball Players. As time went on baseball became tremendously popular and teams started to charge fans in order to pay for road trips and games that took place away from the home-town. With the competition rising, players began to be secretly paid. It was supposed to be made up of ameteurs who just wanted to enjoy the game, but this idea did not last long. The ameteur teams ended up fading out and the better players then became professionals. The National Association became the first professional baseball league in 1871.