Baseball is one of Chicago’s most popular sports. The history of baseball in Chicago is linked to two renowned teams: the Cubs and the White Sox. According to ichicago.net, it dates back to 1851.
What was it originally like?
The first Chicago game was recorded in August 1851. Then the Joliet and Lockport teams competed. The Union Baseball Club was established in Chicago in 1856. In August 1858, the city newspapers first reported on the game against the Excelsior Club. The popularity of baseball in Chicago has grown year after year. In 1857, 45 amateur teams competed in the city. City publications kept their readers informed on the results of the games.
Inspired by the high attendance at first-class amateur matches, in 1887, eight of the city’s strongest clubs decided to unite and form the Chicago City League.
The league began actively developing in 1890 but, in 1895, it disbanded. From 1900 to 1910, semi-professional baseball continued to grow in Chicago and its neighboring areas. During this time, the renowned Logan Squares, Gunthers and West Ends teams were formed. Amateur teams were actively emerging as well. The results of many league games were published in city newspapers and were sponsored by various organizations, the most common of which were churches, corporations, banks and jewelers.
In 1909, the City League resumed its activities. It had six teams, three of which were recognized as professional clubs. On August 27, 1910, Chicago made a significant contribution to baseball history. Then, the Logan Squares and Rogers Park played their first successful game under artificial lighting.
Development of baseball in Chicago
After 1911, the number of local teams began to decrease. The greatest clubs competed independently, and the City League ceased to be the main one. During World War I, the Great Lakes team was formed in Chicago. It included seven former Major League players, and, in 1918, the Great Lakes won the Army-Navy championship game.
In 1920, Chicago baseball fans became increasingly interested in clubs from the Negro American League, including the Cubs, White Sox and American Giants. In the 1920s, the number of teams in the city decreased drastically again, and the remaining clubs in Chicago competed in the Midwest League over the following decades.
The first interschool baseball game in Chicago was played in October 1868 between teams from two private schools: Chicago Academy and the Beleke Academy. In 1890, in response to the city’s growing popularity of baseball, seven public high schools formed the Cook County League.
In 1914, the Chicago Public High School League was founded. Crane High School then won the first league baseball championship.
From 1920 to 1926, the best team of the Chicago Public High School League faced up against the New York City champions in a series of Long-Distance Championship games. The Chicagoans won three out of seven games. In 1940, the Illinois High School Association held its first annual baseball championship.
The first Chicago schools to win the state championship were Cicero Morton High School in 1943 and Chicago Lane Tech in 1945. All of the youth baseball leagues were sponsored by American Legion Baseball.
After World War II, baseball regained popularity in Chicago and its suburbs. Every day, thousands of boys and girls gathered on baseball fields to play.
In the late twentieth century, a junior baseball league formed in Chicago. The following teams competed in the capital league in 2002: the Crestwood Cheetahs, the Kane County Cougars (Geneva), the Schaumburg Flyers and the Gary Railcats.
Modern baseball is actively developing in Chicago, with new professional teams emerging every year.