Sports Nation

The following sections are included:

• Dedication
• Preface
• About the Author
• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• Abbreviations

Founded in 1892 as a minor baseball league, the Western League (WL) ceased operations in July because of financial difficulties. Former sports editor Bancroft ‘Ban’ Johnson, who supported the Players League in 1890, was given a task to revive the struggling circuit. Appointed president of it in 1894, he accepted his new job with fervor, and quickly the WL became one of the most entertaining, popular, and profitable sports organizations in the nation…

After rumors that some teams were illegally paying their players, the amateur National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) established a professional category in 1869. Two years later, several clubs separated themselves from the NABBP and found the wild and woolly National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NAPBBP), or simply National Association (NA)…

Because of financial and economic problems, low attendances at their home games and other reasons, four teams moved from the National Basketball League (NBL) to the rival Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1948. One year later, the BAA absorbed several other NBL clubs. Consisting of only three teams — Calumet Buccaneers in Hammond, Indiana, and the All-Stars in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and Rens in Dayton, Ohio — the NBL folded its operations…

Before they merged in 1949 and became known as the National Basketball Association (NBA) — or simply Association — the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball League (NBL) each consisted of an Eastern Division (ED) and Western Division (WD). Prior to their 1948– 1949 seasons, the NBL’s Fort Wayne Pistons, Indianapolis Jets, Minneapolis Lakers, and Rochester Royals transferred to the BAA’s WD to join the Chicago Stags and St. Louis Bombers. This, in turn, left the Denver Nuggets, Oshkosh All-Stars, Sheboygan Redskins, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, and Waterloo Hawks in the NBL’s WD…

Established in Canton, Ohio, the American Professional Football Association (APFA) consisted of 14 teams in 1920 — with Akron Pros winning the championship — and included 21 in 1921 led by the Chicago Staleys. One year later, the APFA changed its name to National Football League (NFL), and fielded eighteen teams. In wins–losses–ties, the Canton Bulldogs finished 10-0-2 and emerged as the league’s first true powerhouse…

Established in 1920, the American Professional Football Conference — renamed American Professional Football Association (APFA) and after two years the National Football League (NFL) — originally consisted of 14 teams. These were the Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Tigers, Columbus Panhandlers, and Dayton Triangles from Ohio; Chicago Tigers, Decatur Staleys, Racine Cardinals (based in Chicago but took the name of a local street), and Rock Island Independents from Illinois; Hammond Pros and Muncie Flyers from Indiana; Buffalo All-Americans and Rochester Jeffersons from New York; and Detroit Heralds from Michigan…

Before the late 1910s, several ice hockey leagues existed throughout North America. These included, for example, the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (1886–1898), Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (1905–1909), and the Canadian Hockey Association (1909–1910). After these failed, the National Hockey Association (NHA) (1910–1918) became a prominent organization in the sport despite such rivals as the Ontario Professional Hockey League (1908–1911), Maritime Professional Hockey League (1911–1914), and Pacific Coast Hockey Association (1912–1924) or simply PCHA…

Established during November 1917 in Montreal, Quebec, by several officials from the former National Hockey Association (NHA) — which folded because of a dispute between Toronto Blueshirts’ owner Eddie Livingstone and executives in the organization — the National Hockey League (NHL) began its first season with four clubs. These were the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Arenas. Although Quebec City held a franchise, it decided not to operate. At the time, the NHL competed for a Stanley Cup along with such professional leagues as the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA)…

The following sections are included:

• Conclusion
• Appendix: Tables
• Bibliography
• Index