As baseball's popularity grew in the 1800s in the U.S., young boys took to playing the game in the streets and closely followed their favorite teams as organizations formed and expanded. According to Little League Online, baseball earned the moniker of "America's favorite pastime" by the late 19th century after the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first completely professional team.
Beginnings
The earliest beginnings noted of young boys playing baseball occurred in tandem with the growth of adult men's baseball teams. Most boys' baseball teams affiliated themselves with adult teams and made little headway in forming their own organizations until the early 1900s. Boys met in sandlots and streets to play with the castoffs they collected from adult teams. The American Legion started a baseball program for teenage boys in the 1920s and is considered the precursor of modern Little League play.
Founder
Carl E. Stotz is credited with founding Little League when he came up with the rules and dimensions for regulation playing fields for a team of young boys in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in 1938. A league consisting of teams sponsored by local businesses was formed in 1939 and by 1940 a second league was added. In 1947, the first league outside of Pennsylvania started in Hammonton, New Jersey, and the first National Little League Tournament was held.
Expansion
By 1948, organized youth baseball had expanded to include 94 leagues, quickly spreading across more states as its popularity spread. Little League officials moved to protect the name of the sport in 1949 and incorporated in New York. In 1954, more than 3,300 teams counted as organized Little League organizations following the rules set out by Stotz. All 48 continental states and most provinces in Canada had teams by 1955. Germany was the first European country to enter the sport officially in 1960.
Growth
Initially, Little League rules allowed only boys aged 9 through 12 to play the game. A Senior Little League for boys from 13 to 15 was started in 1961 and in 1968 another addition included boys from 16 to 18. In 1974, rules were revised and girls began to play officially in softball Little League teams and tournaments. By 1999 there were 100 countries participating in the Little League World Series. According to Hickok Sports, more than 3 million teams existed worldwide by 2010.
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