Baseball

Most cultures have some sort of stick and ball game cricket being the most well-known. While the exact origins of baseball are unknown most historians agree that it is based on the English game of rounders. It began to become quote popular in this country in the early 19th century and many sources report the growing popularity of a game called "townball" "base" or "baseball". Throughout the early part of that century small towns formed teams and baseball clubs were formed in larger cities. In 1845 Alexander Cartwright wanted to formalize a list of rules by which all team could play. Much of that original code is still in place today. Although popular legend says that the game was invented by Abner Doubleday baseball's true father was Cartwright. The first recorded baseball contest took place a year later in 1846. Cartwright's Knickerbockers lost to the New York Baseball Club in a game at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken New Jersey. These amateur games became more frequent and more popular. In 1857 a convention of amateur teams was called to discuss rules and other issues. Twenty five teams from the northeast sent delegates. The following year they formed the National Association of Base Ball Players the first organized baseball league