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Learn About the History of Baseball

Baseball is rich in history, find out more about it’s history and origins.

Ybor City

There’s something special about baseball in Tampa.

It started with a little boy dreaming of playing baseball. This boy, Al Lopez, became Tampa’s first Major League player, manager, and Hall of Fame inductee.

Now, the place where he dreamt — his childhood home — is ready to welcome fans to celebrate Tampa’s 135 years of baseball heritage.

In this home, 89 professional players and baseball greats from Tampa are honored, along with the people and places who shaped them: the early leagues and spring training, sun-soaked fields in West Tampa and Ybor City, World Series-winning Little League teams, and coaches with deep rosters.

Negro League

A Brief History of the Negro League

Here is Baseball Spotlight’s brief history of the Negro League. The Negro League began as a result of the increasing popularity of baseball and segregation after the Civil War. In the 1860s Baseball was the most popular sport and was already described as America’s national pastime.

The National Association of Amateur Baseball Players rejected African American membership in 1867. In 1871 the first professional baseball league formed and the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players was established.
Despite the talent of African Americans playing baseball at the time, the owners in the professional league made a pact to keep black players out.