We live in a world where excellence in athletics is celebrated on a daily basis. A significant number of the admired athletes compete in a game we know as baseball. Baseball is something that started as a simple game but has changed dramatically over time. Society pays to see the game, players are paid to compete, and television stations fight just to broadcast the games. While most still see baseball as a simple game, it is much more than a game to our society and our economy.
It is generally accepted that the beginning of the game started with the New York Knickerbockers Baseball Club in 1842. This club developed rules for the game, most of which we still play by today. By 1845, they became more organized and in 1858 they took action on the potential profit that could be made with the game with the organization of the National Association of Base Ball Players.
Babe Ruth, full-length portrait, standing, facing ...
English: the New York Yankees' World Series trophi...
Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees, cropped from...While they are still considered an amateur club by today's standards, admission fees were charged to watch there games and there were quite a few players who were illegally paid to play. (Rossi, John P.)Before a professional league was established, it was apparent that many people were willing to pay to watch good players play the game. Therefore, the first professional league began in 1871 as the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players which eventually in 1876 became simply the National League, or NL. Then, in 1903 the American League, AL, joined and formed what is now the MLB, or Major League Baseball. Businessmen at the time knew the potential of the game and since the beginning of the league, have used different tactics to make money. (Rossi, John P.)The first way owners made money is the most obvious way, ticket sales. One...