Baseball: America's Pastime

Picture Marcus, a sixteen-year-old shortstop who lives and breathes BASEBALL. The game he loves has a surprisingly deep history — professional baseball in the United States dates back to 1869, when the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first openly all-professional team. The sport is governed by two major organizations: the NATIONAL LEAGUE and the AMERICAN LEAGUE, which together form MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, often abbreviated MLB. Marcus dreams of playing in the MLB one day, and understanding where the game came from helps him appreciate just how much the sport has evolved over more than 150 years. COOPERSTOWN, New York is home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which honors the greatest players and contributors in the sport's history.