Legend has it that Abner Doubleday developed the game of baseball. His military ally and friend, Adam Graves, claimed that in 1839, in Cooperstown, New York, Abner Doubleday modified the British game of ‘rounders' by adding bases, a diamond-shape playing field, et al. thus creating ‘base ball.'

The problem with this theory is that there is no concrete evidence to substantiate it; none has been found after all of these years. Nonetheless, the name of Doubleday, the date of 1839, and the town of Cooperstown, New York are now synonymous with the legend and lore of baseball.

Baseball, according to most historians, seems to have derived its origins from the English game of “rounders”. It began to gain popularity in the early 1800's. It is said that the game became known as “town ball” - small towns would form their own clubs or teams.

The first sketch of a baseball playing field, with space for 12 players and asymmetrical distances between the bases, dates back to New York, 1842. In 1845, the first-ever organized ball club was established - the Knickerbockers Base Ball Club of New York. They later elected Alexander Cartwright to standardize the rules of the game.

On June 19, 1846, the first organized baseball game took place at the Elysian Fields, in Hoboken, New Jersey. The Knickerbockers competed against, and lost to, the New York 9.

As the popularity of the game grew, a convention of amateur teams was organized to discuss rules and other issues. Astoundingly, in 1857, twenty-five teams participated. One year later, in 1858, the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP), the first organized baseball league, formed.

During the years of the Civil War, as expected, the number of baseball clubs decreased drastically. However, Union soldiers began to introduce the game to other parts of the country. Once the war ended, the popularity of the game grew exponentially. The league's convention in 1868 had more than 100 clubs.

As the league grew, so did the expenses of playing; charging spectators admission to games started to become more common. Teams were commonly seeking donations and even sponsors to help pay for their traveling expenses. It did not take too long to begin equating winning with sponsorships and donations. Although the league was supposed to be made up solely of amateurs, many players were secretly paid.

In March 1871, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP) was established as the first professional baseball league. It was run by, and owned by, the players. It began with 10 teams. By 1875, it grew to a league with 13 teams. It was hard to dispute the success of professional baseball.

The NAPBBP was short-lived. Following the 1875 season, it was replaced with the National League (NL). The members elected William Hulbert as their president. Their inaugural game was played on April 22, 1876. Boston beat Philadelphia 6-5 before only 3,000 fans. Businessmen ran this league. Baseball took on the structure of a business; policies and standards were established for all aspects of the game.