National Association of Professional Baseball Players

The National Association of Professional Baseball Players, or simply the National Association, was founded in 1871 and lasted through the 1875 season, after which its stronger teams created the National League. It is regarded as baseball's first professional league.

Several factors served to limit the lifespan of the National Association:

Dominance by a single team (Boston) for most of the league's existence
Instability of franchises; several were placed in cities too small to support major league baseball
Lack of central authority
Suspicions of the influence of gamblers

National Association Franchises

Boston Red Stockings (1871–1875)
Chicago White Stockings (1871; 1874–1875)
Cleveland Forest Citys (1871–1872)
Fort Wayne Kekiongas (1871)
New York Mutuals (1871–1875)
Philadelphia Athletics (1871–1875)
Rockford Forest Citys (1871)
Troy Haymakers (1871–1872)
Washington Olympics (1871–1872)
Brooklyn Atlantics (1872–1875)
Brooklyn Eckfords (1872)
Baltimore Canaries (1872–1874) ("Lord Baltimore" in the standings)
Middletown Mansfields (1872)
Washington Nationals (1872–1873; 1875)
Baltimore Marylands (1873)
Philadelphia White Stockings (1873)/Philadelphia Pearls (1874)/Philadelphia Phillies (1875)
Elizabeth Resolutes (1873)
Hartford Dark Blues (1874–1875)
Philadelphia Centennials (1875)
New Haven Elm Citys (1875)
St. Louis Brown Stockings (1875)
St. Louis Red Stockings (1875)
Keokuk Westerns (1875)

Team names technicalities

The way the teams are listed above puts their names in the modern context of a city name plus a nickname. In fact, the singular form of that "nickname" was often the team name itself, with its base city "understood" and was so listed in the standings. Example: Rather than saying "Brooklyn Atlantics", the team was simply called "Atlantic", or "Atlantic of Brooklyn" if deemed necessary by the writer.

Another common practice was to refer to the team in the plural; hence the "Bostons" the "Chicagos"... or the "Mutuals". Hence some additional confusion for modern readers.

Sometimes the team would have a nickname, usually something to do with the team colors. Examples: Boston Red Stockings, Chicago White Stockings, Mutual Green Stockings. A relatively modern equivalent to this was when the Pacific Coast League had two teams in San Francisco, called "San Francisco" and "Mission". The teams were officially the "Seals" and the "Reds" respectively. However, the second team was also often called the "Missions".

This practice of using the singular form of the "nickname" as the team name faded with time, although as recently as the early 1900s, the team generally known as "Philadelphia Athletics" was shown in the American League standings as "Athletic", the traditional way.

The closest modern sports franchises come to this style is by assigning a name that reflects the region that the team wants to represent. The Rangers have always played in Arlington, Texas, but the team is listed as "Texas" in the standings because that is what the team calls itself: The Texas Rangers, not the Arlington Texans. In 2005, this idea came full circle: in the early 1870s, there were the Mutual Green Stockings of New York. Now we have the newly redubbed Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The way the NA teams were typically shown in contemporary standings was as follows:

Boston
Chicago
Forest City (of Cleveland)
Kekionga
Mutual
Athletic
Forest City (of Rockford) - a little confusing in 1871
Troy
Olympic
Atlantic
Eckford
Lord Baltimore
Mansfield
National
Maryland
Philadelphia
Resolute
Hartford
Centennial
Elm City
St. Louis Brown Stockings
St. Louis Red Stockings
Western

Timeline

1869 - The previously amateur National Association of Base Ball Players establishes a professional category.
1869–70 - Cincinnati Red Stockings demonstrate that professional baseball is a viable business enterprise.
1871 - Several teams from the National Association of Base Ball Players breakaway to found the first professional league, the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players.
1876 - Boston, Chicago, Hartford, Mutual, Athletic, and St. Louis Brown Stockings all join the newly founded National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, along with new teams in Louisville and Cincinnati.

Champions

1871 Athletic
1872 Boston
1873 Boston
1874 Boston
1875 Boston

NA Presidents

James W. Kerns 1871
Robert V. Ferguson 1872–1875

References

David Pietrusza Major Leagues: The Formation, Sometimes Absorption and Mostly Inevitable Demise of 18 Professional Baseball Organizations, 1871 to Present Jefferson (NC): McFarland & Company, 1991. ISBN 0899505902