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Why did amateur baseball players object to the growth of professional baseball?
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Baseball
Freddie Freeman, shown here in a 2023 game, was named World Series MVP in 2024 after hitting four home runs and driving in 12 runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Amateur baseball players and traditionalists objected to the rise of professional baseball primarily due to the shift in the sport's core values and the negative influences that accompanied commercialization.
Early baseball clubs, such as the New York Knickerbockers, were founded on principles of fraternity and socializing, with members paying dues to play among themselves. As the sport grew in popularity, clubs began prioritizing external competition to attract larger crowds and prestige. This transition led to several practices that amateurs found objectionable:
- Commercialization and Bribery: The introduction of paid players and the practice of compensating athletes with jobs requiring little actual work undermined the amateur spirit.12
- Gambling: The rise of interclub rivalries and high-stakes competition attracted the influence of gamblers, which frequently led to bribery and concerns regarding the integrity of the game.12
- Specialization: The pressure to field winning teams forced players to specialize in single positions and limited field time to only the top performers, moving away from the inclusive, social nature of early club play.12
These tensions eventually led to a formal split between amateur and professional organizations in 1871.13