Baseball originated from previous bat-and-ball activities that were already popular in England by the mid-nineteenth century. Immigrants carried this game to North America, where the present form evolved. Baseball was largely acknowledged as the national sport of the United States by the late nineteenth century. It became associated with many social issues such as racism and classism but was also used as a means for young people to get together without fighting. The association of baseball with America has made it popular all over the world.
In the early years of the United States, colonial governments sponsored games that included cricket, football, and other sports. The first official game of baseball was played on April 22, 1846, between Columbia University and New York University. This game was intended to be part of a series but only lasted about five minutes because there were no rules yet. The next year, an "Association of Base Ball Players" was formed, which is how we know today's version of the game is the same one played hundreds of years ago.
After the American Civil War (1861-65), many new teams were formed in New York City, Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, and Philadelphia. These cities developed into major leagues that have been very stable over time. In 1901, the American League was founded by former Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert. The two main leagues have been competing heavily against each other since then for fans and revenues.
The true history of baseball, it turns out, is a little more convoluted than the Doubleday narrative. Baseball-like games have been mentioned in the United States since the 18th century. It appears to have descended from two English games: rounders (a children's game brought to New England by the first colonists) and cricket.
Although early forms of baseball may have begun in Britain, modern baseball, as Americans know it, began in the 1870s and was completely evolved by 1890, when the National Baseball League of Great Britain and Ireland was created.
Baseball exists in England; it's simply not as prevalent as it is on this side of the Atlantic. Baseball in the United Kingdom is headed by a tiny but fervent group of baseball nuts who care strongly about the game—even when surrounded by those who don't. There are fan clubs for each MLB team.
Baseball is popular throughout North America, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and East Asia, especially in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. It is also widely played in many countries around the world, particularly those with large populations or military-based communities such as Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific including China, Taiwan, and Japan.
The earliest record of baseball being played in what is now the United States occurs in 1826 when a ball was imported from England for use in American colleges and universities. Amateur baseball clubs began to appear soon after the end of the American Civil War in 1865, but it wasn't until the early 20th century that the game really took off. By the mid-20th century, baseball had become so popular that the expansion of the major leagues was no longer possible: The first baseball league, the National League, consisted only of eight teams who were divided into two divisions (North and West). The American League followed suit three years later in 1901 by adding nine more teams to its ranks. Finally, in 1962, the two leagues merged to form one organization called "the Major Leagues".
Baseball was created in 1845 by a guy named Alexander Joy Cartwright. Baseball started in England but gained popularity in the Americas in the early 1900s. Cartwright drew up the modern-day regulations when it was brought here. He also invented several rules such as three strikes and you're out and the bat size limit.
Alexander Cartwright is only child of John Cartwright and Elizabeth Hulme. His father was born in 1754 in England and his mother was born in Ireland. They had other children who lived past age five including an older brother who was killed in a battle in America. After the death of his sibling, Alexander's father moved to Pennsylvania where he worked as a carpenter. When Alexander was nine years old, his parents were killed by Native Americans while they were traveling across America.
After the incident, Alexander was adopted by his uncle William Cartwright who owned a tavern in New Jersey. Under his care, he learned to play baseball. In 1825, at the age of eighteen, Alexander married Mary Ann Clapp and together they had six children. Four of them survived childhood: Elizabeth, Alice, Anna and John. In 1845, after working for several years for a newspaper in New York City, Alexander founded the American Association of Base Ball Players. This was the first professional league that ever existed.
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