Baseball

Semiprofessional baseball started in the United States in the 1860s; in 1869 the first fully professional baseball club the Cincinnati Red Stockings was formed and went undefeated against a schedule of semipro and amateur teams. By the following decade American newspapers were referring to baseball as the "National Pastime" or "National Game." The first "major league" was the National Association which lasted from 1871 to 1875. The National League which still exists today was founded in 1876. Several other major leagues formed and failed but the American League established in 1901 as a major league and originating from the minor Western League (1893) succeeded. While the two leagues were rivals who actively fought for the best players often disregarding one another's contracts and engaging in bitter legal disputes a modicum of peace was established in 1903 and the World Series was inaugurated that fall. The next year however the National League champion New York Giants did not participate as their manager John McGraw refused to recognize the major league status of the American League and its champion the Boston Americans. The following year McGraw relented and the Giants played the Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series.