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When did baseball players begin to be paid for playing professionally?
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History of baseball
Giants legend Barry Bonds hitting his record-setting 756th career home run, August 7, 2007.
Professionalism in baseball began to emerge around 1865–1866, as teams started hiring skilled players on a per-game basis. During this period, players were either paid directly for playing or compensated through jobs that required little to no actual work.1
The first publicly announced all-professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was organized in 1869. Their success and the subsequent desire of other cities to achieve similar acclaim solidified the professionalization of the sport.12