Forms of baseball have been popular for many centuries.
of rounders, the children's game of one-old-cat, and townball are all very similar .
to baseball and have been popular since the 1700s. In the 1840s, Alexander .
Cartwright of the New York Knickerbocker Club created the general field .
dimensions that are in use today. Henry Chadwick, a sportswriter, wrote the first .
rule book in 1858. The rules continued to change slightly, but by the early 1900s .
the rules were almost exactly the same as they are today.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, baseball was primarily popular in .
local clubs in the northeast United States, with the members of the local clubs .
usually being of the same occupation. Competitions between these clubs .
eventually led to the creation of organized baseball leagues. An organization .
created to set standardized rules and playing schedules, the National Association .
of Baseball Players, was formed in 1858 to be baseball's first official governing .
body. The travel of soldiers from the Northeast during the Civil War led to the .
spread of the game throughout the West, East, and South United States. After the .
Civil War, there were more opportunities for leisure, and the increased ability of .
travel allowed leagues to be wider spread, which lead to more competition.
In 1869, Harry Wright organized the Cincinnati Red Stockings and called .
them the first professional team. They went on a 57-game national tour, and they .
were undefeated throughout the tour. Because the Cincinnati Red Stockings were .
successful on their tour, in 1871 the National Association of Baseball Players .
created 9 different teams in 8 cities to form the first professional baseball league. .
Several competing leagues were formed in the 1870s, including the National .
League, which became the most popular of the competing leagues. .
Financial troubles, gambling problems, and the creation of many new .
franchises weakened many of the leagues, and a players revolt in 1890, which .