History of Sports in America By coffejay000 1830 Professional sports began to take root in the United States Mid 19th Century 1858 First National Association of Baseball Players 1869 First Pro Baseball Team the Cincinnati Red Stockings 1878 Brooklyn Dodgers (now LA Dodgers) became a professional team and have won seven world series and 24 NL pennants. 1892 First professional football team, Pittsburgh Athletic Club 1900 Major League Baseball expanded rapidly Expanded to the college level 1900 Baseball was Firmly Established as Americas National Pastime Early 20th Century 1901 The Yankees came to be in 1901 1920 The American Professional Football Association was formed 1940 The National Basketball Association was founded 1948 Football began to take off as a professional sport 1960 In the years after World War II, the NFL added a number of new teams and began to expand across the country 1962 The Mets came around at the height of baseball’s popularity as a part of the first NL expansion 1970 Professional hockey leagues were established, including the World Hockey Association and the National Hockey League 1970 Hockey began to gain popularity
Mid 19th Century
Expanded to the college level
Early 20th Century
