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Information About

National Association Of Professional Base Ball Players




  sport Baseball
  founded 1871
  folded 1875
  teams 26
  champion 1871 Philadelphia Athletics
  website MLBcom


The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP), or simply the '''National Association''' (NA), was founded in 1871 and lasted through the 1875 season. It succeeded the National Association Of Base Ball Players (NABBP) and several of its clubs created the succeeding National League , which essentially survives as Professional Baseball . The NA is commonly considered the first professional baseball league. Its status as the first major league Is In Dispute ; while the official history of Major League Baseball does not classify it as one of the recognized historical major leagues, the NA nonetheless had the highest caliber of play then in existence.

Several factors limited the lifespan of the National Association including
  • Dominance by a single team (Boston) for most of the league's existence

  • Instability of franchises; several were placed in cities too small to financially support professional baseball

  • Lack of central authority

  • Suspicions of the influence of gamblers



MEMBER CLUBS


Professional baseball clubs in the 19th century were often known by what is now regarded as a "nickname", although it was actually the club's name. This was a practice carried over from the amateur days.

The ''Encyclopedia of Baseball'' attempted to retrofit the names into a modern context, possibly introducing some confusion. In the following list, the bold names are the names most often used in contemporary standings, and the links after them are the names typically ascribed to the teams now, using the ''Encyclopedia of Baseball'' standard:



More on team names

The singular form of a "nickname" was often the team name itself, with its base city "understood" and was so listed in the standings. Example: Rather than "Brooklyn Atlantics", the team was simply called "Atlantic", or "Atlantic of Brooklyn" if deemed necessary by the writer.

Another common practice was to refer to the team in the plural; hence the "Bostons" the "Chicagos"... or the "Mutuals". Hence some additional confusion for modern readers.

Sometimes the team would have a nickname, usually something to do with the team colors. Examples: Boston Red Stockings, Chicago White Stockings, Mutual Green Stockings. A more recent equivalent to this occurred when the Pacific Coast League had two teams in San Francisco , called "San Francisco" and "Mission". The teams were officially the "Seals" and the "Reds" respectively. However, the second team was also often called the "Missions".

This practice of using the singular form of the "nickname" as the team name faded with time, although as recently as the early 1900s , the team generally known as " Philadelphia Athletics " was shown in the American League standings as "Athletic", the traditional way. That team sported an old-English "A" on its jerseys, as had its nominative predecessors. The Oakland uniforms are a quiet reminder of this tradition.

The closest equivalent in modern sports franchises is to assign a name that reflects the region that the team wants to represent. The , there were the Mutual Green Stockings of New York. In 2005 , there were the newly redubbed Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim .


TIMELINE




CHAMPIONS



NA PRESIDENTS



REFERENCES

  • David Pietrusza ''Major Leagues: The Formation, Sometimes Absorption and Mostly Inevitable Demise of 18 Professional Baseball Organizations, 1871 to Present'' Jefferson (NC): McFarland & Company, 1991. ISBN 0-89950-590-2

  • William J. Ryczek ''Blackguards and Red Stockings: A History of Baseball's National Association'' Jefferson (NC): McFarland & Company, 1999. ISBN 978-0967371801