How are or were the two decided? What do the names even mean? Personally I think the NL is better but this isnt the question..
2006-09-07 17:37:26 · 10 answers · asked by andyfox1979 3 in Sports ➔ Baseball
There were several leagues recognized as "major leagues" in the 1800's.
The National League came into existence in 1876. This was just 11 years after the end of the Civil War. There was a nationalistic movement in the United States during this period of reconstruction, hence the name National League. Most teams of that era are still recognizable now. The early members of the National League included the Chicago Orphans (Cubs), the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Braves (also called the Bees before moving to Milwaukee and now Atlanta); the Brooklyn Dodgers (Trolly Dodgers because of the many trains running through Brooklyn); the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Phillies (also called Blue Jays), and the Cincinnati Reds (also called the Red Legs during the 1950's communism scares).
Prior to 1901, there was a major league called the Western League. When it wanted to expand eastward, that name did not make sense any longer. With Ban Johnson as the League President, it became the American League with the original Baltimore Orioles (later moving to become the New York Highlanders,later named the Yankees in 1915). Other original American League teams were the Detroit Tigers, the Boston Puritans (Red Sox), Philadelphia Athletics, Washington Nationals (also the Senators, now the Minnesota Twins), Cleveland Blues (now Indians), Chicago White Stockings, and the original Milwaukee Brewers that moved and became St. Louis Browns and moved again to become the current Baltimore Orioles.
Each of the two Major Leagues has it's own history that it can be proud of; both also have history that is shameful (not allowing non-white players prior to 1947).
Until the beginning of free agency, there was limited movement of players between the two leagues; now there has been movement of a team to the other league, the current Milwaukee Brewers.
2006-09-09 04:41:41 · answer #1 · answered by jpbofohio 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because there used to be no MLB, it was just the NL and the AL. Then a great idea to merge the two together in order to create two competitive leagues came along, thus the birth of the MLB and the World Series. Also inspired the NBA and the ABA to merge and form the modern-day NBA. Also copied in the NFL with their NFC and AFC. Don't quote me on this, but I believe it was baseball to first do this.
2006-09-07 17:42:57 · answer #2 · answered by beachdarryl0202 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
in the beginning there were not 31 teams. So there was no reason or need to worry about anything in terms of Logistics like Travel, Schedule, or Diversity of play. and there was only a National League (NL). But then Expnsion began, and new teams began being added to the league, and they realized if they didnt break the teams into divisions and then divide the single league into 2 leagues (thus creating the American League AL), that they wuld start having problems in terms of traveling, shceduling games, and Deciding a true champion. It just made more sense to create more divisions and two seperate Leagues than have one leage with 20 sum odd teams in it. So the answer to yer question of why there are 2 leagues is LOGISTICS.
2006-09-07 17:49:14 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The National League started in the 1880s. The American League started around 1901. They formed Major League baseball in 1903 with a single playoff called the World Series to determine the overall champion. Until about 10 years ago, they only played each other in the Allstar game and the World Series. Now, there is limited interleague play.
2006-09-07 17:59:08 · answer #4 · answered by mattapan26 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Just like the NFL, Way back in the 1800's. They started as two differen't leagues. The NL was first (Thus the nickname "Senior Circuit")
2006-09-07 17:50:01 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tradition
2006-09-07 20:32:20 · answer #6 · answered by Byron W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can't tell you how they were decided. But I do know that AL means American League and NL means National League.
2006-09-07 17:40:45 · answer #7 · answered by hilda c 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They were decided the same way, basically, that the NFL has the AFC and the NFC.
You can separate conferences by location... or by some imagined criteria like "American and National".
2006-09-08 03:27:49 · answer #8 · answered by Offended? Aww Have a Cookie! 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The NL is around so baseball players who aren't very good can learn how to catch, throw and bunt. When a ballboy in the AL goes on the DL, they call up an NLer to take his spot.
2006-09-07 17:54:59 · answer #9 · answered by 1Edge3 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
tradition
2006-09-08 09:07:19 · answer #10 · answered by Larry 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋