American Association (19th century)


The American Association was a professional baseball league that existed for 10 seasons from to. Together with the National League, founded in, the AA participated in an early version of the World Series seven times versus the champion of the NL in an interleague championship playoff tournament. At the end of its run, several AA franchises joined the NL. After 1891, the NL existed alone, with each season's champions being awarded the prized Temple Cup.
During its existence, the AA was often simply referred to as "the Association" in the media, in contrast to the NL, which was sometimes called "the League".

History

The American Association distinguished itself in several ways from what it considered to be the puritanical National League. The new league established teams in what the NL leaders pejoratively called "river cities", including Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Louisville and St. Louis, with the inherent implication of lower morality or social standards in those cities. In contrast to the NL, the AA offered cheaper ticket prices, Sunday games and alcoholic beverages to its patrons. As such, the American Association was the world's first professional sports league designed to out-compete another by better accommodating blue-collar tendencies and attitudes toward spectator sport.
On November 8, 1881, at the Gibson House in Cincinnati, it was decided that individual teams in the league-to-be would operate their own affairs and set their own admission prices, under an agreement called the "guarantee system". The NL at that time prohibited the sale of alcohol on its grounds, while the AA had no such restrictions, especially as several of its teams were backed by breweries and distilleries. The AA became known as "The Beer and Whiskey League", another pejorative term applied by NL owners, and which did not seem to bother the fans of the Association's clubs.
Beginning in 1884 and continuing through 1890, the champion of the AA met the champion of the NL in an early version of the World Series. These early Series were less organized than the modern version, with as few as three games played and as many as fifteen, and the contests of 1885 and 1890 ending in disputed ties. The NL won four of these Series, while the AA won only one, in 1886 when the St. Louis Browns defeated the Chicago White Stockings.
Over its lifetime, the AA was weakened by several factors. One was the tendency of some of its teams to jump to the NL. The consistently stronger NL was in better position to survive adverse conditions. Some owners of AA teams also owned a NL team. The most significant blow to the AA was dealt by the Players' League, a third major league formed in, which siphoned off talent and gate receipts. In a rare historical oddity, the Brooklyn Bridegrooms won the league's championship and represented the AA in the 1889 World Series, switched to the NL during the off-season, and then repeated the same feat.
No player who spent the majority of his career in the AA is in the baseball Hall of Fame, although Bid McPhee of the Cincinnati Reds played eight of his eighteen seasons in the AA before the Reds moved to the National League. The living legacy of the old Association is the group of teams that came over to the National League to stay. The Pirates moved to the NL after the 1886 season, the Bridegrooms/Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds after the 1889 season, and the Browns/Cardinals after the American Association folded following the 1891 season. Following the reorganization and contraction of the NL from 12 teams down to 8 in 1900, half of the eight surviving teams were former members of the AA. Several of the AA's home-field venues survived into the 1960s: The ballpark used by the 1891 Washington club evolved into Griffith Stadium; the home of the St. Louis Browns, Sportsman's Park; and the city block occupied by the Reds, which evolved into Crosley Field. Crosley was the last physical remnant of the AA to go, other than the clubs themselves, when it was replaced by Riverfront Stadium in mid-1970.
During the AA's existence, several teams defected over to the NL, and at the AA's demise in 1891 four additional clubs joined the NL. Four former AA clubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cincinnati Reds, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals, have posted more than 10,000 lifetime major league victories.

Pennant winners of the AA

FranchiseYearsHome-fieldTitlesNotesRef
Baltimore Orioles†1882–1891Newington Park/Oriole Park I, II, III0
Cincinnati Red Stockings†1882–1889Bank Street Grounds/League Park I1This franchise currently exists as the Cincinnati Reds
Louisville Colonels†1882–1891Eclipse Park I1
Philadelphia Athletics1882–1890Oakdale Park/Jefferson Street Grounds1
Pittsburgh Alleghenys†1882–1886Exposition Park I, II/Recreation Park0This franchise currently exists as the Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Brown Stockings/Browns†1882–1891Sportsman's Park I4This franchise currently exists as the St. Louis Cardinals
Columbus Buckeyes1883–1884Recreation Park I0
New York Metropolitans1883–1887Polo Grounds I/Metropolitan Park/St. George Cricket Grounds1
Brooklyn Atlantics/Grays/Bridegrooms†1884–1889Washington Park/Ridgewood Park II1This franchise currently exists as the Los Angeles Dodgers
Indianapolis Hoosiers1884Seventh Street Park I/Bruce Grounds0
Richmond Virginias1884Allen Pasture0
Toledo Blue Stockings1884League Park0
Washington Nationals1884Athletic Park0
Cleveland Spiders†1887–1889Kennard Street Park0
Kansas City Cowboys1888–1889Association Park/Exposition Park0
Columbus Solons1889–1891Recreation Park II0
Brooklyn Gladiators1890Ridgewood Park II/Polo Grounds III0
Rochester Broncos/Hop Bitters1890Culver Field I/Polo Grounds III0
Syracuse Stars1890Star Park II0
Toledo Maumees1890Speranza Park0
Boston Reds§1891Congress Street Grounds1Transferred from the Players' League after 1890 season
Cincinnati Kelly's Killers1891East End Park0Also referred to as the Reds and the Porkers
Milwaukee Brewers1891Athletic Park0
Philadelphia Athletics§1891Forepaugh Park0Transferred from the Players' League after 1890 season
Washington Senators†1891Boundary Field0

Timeline


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  1. ---Charter Members of the AA in 1882
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  1. ---1883
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  1. ---1884
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  1. ---1887
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  1. ---1888
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  1. ---1889
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  1. ---1890
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  1. ---1891
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  1. The 1884 Washington Statesmen were replaced during the season by the Richmond Virginians.
  2. For the 1891 season, the Philadelphia Athletics were replaced by the Philadelphia Quakers of the Player's League.
  3. The 1891 Cincinnati Kelly's Killers folded during the season and were replaced by the Milwaukee Brewers.