Player's League

Players League

By Wikipedia

The Players' League, also known as The Brotherhood, was an attempt to establish a third major baseball league in 1890. The National League and the American Association already existed as major leagues. Three was a crowd and the PL lasted just the one season of 1890, and the Boston franchise won the championship that year.

At a glance... PLAYERS LEAGUE League Facts Established 1890 Disbanded 1890 President Edward A. McAlpin Clubs Team W L GB Boston Reds 81 48 - Brooklyn Wonders 76 56 6.5 New York Giants 74 57 8 Chicago Pirates 75 62 10 Philadelphia Quakers 68 63 14 Pittsburgh Burghers 60 68 20.5 Cleveland Infants 55 75 26.5 Buffalo Bisons 36 96 46.5 1890 SEASON Champions 1890 Boston Reds

Boston and Philadelphia subsequently joined the American Association when the Players' League folded. Brooklyn, New York, Chicago and Pittsburgh franchises each merged with their National League counterparts after the season.

See also: National League, 1890 Attendance, Other Defunct Leagues.

The PL was well-attended, at least in some cities, but was under-funded and its owners lacked the confidence to continue beyond the one season. Although the league was started by the players themselves, essentially as an elaborate job-action to improve their lot, the venture proved to be a setback for the players in the longer term. The infamous reserve clause remained intact, and would remain thus for the next 85 years or so. The already-shaky AA had been further weakened by the presence of the PL, and it failed a year later, reducing the total number of major league teams (and players) significantly.

One benefit of the league, from the management standpoint, was the construction of new facilities, several of which were used for awhile by the established major league clubs. Easily the most prominent of these was a new Polo Grounds, which served as the home of the New York Giants from 1891-1957, and also of the New York Mets in their first two seasons. Once the demolition of the Polo Grounds began in 1964, the game's historians realized that this was not only the end of an era in general, but also the final chapter of the Players' League.

Player's League sources/bibliography:
The Formation, Sometimes Absorption and Mostly Inevitable Demise of 18 Professional Baseball Organizations, 1871 to Present by David Pietrusza.
Total Baseball: The Ultimate Baseball Encyclopedia by John Thorn, et al.