Continental League

Continental League

The Continental League was a proposed third major league in professional baseball in the United States, intended to begin play in the early 1960s. The league was conceived as a response to the growing demand for major league teams in cities that did not have them, and as a way to challenge the American League and National League, which were the only major leagues at the time.

History

The idea for the Continental League was first proposed by Branch Rickey, a prominent baseball executive known for breaking the color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1959, Rickey, along with William Shea, a New York lawyer, announced plans to form a new league that would begin play in 1961.

Formation

The Continental League was officially announced on July 27, 1959. The league planned to have eight teams located in cities that were not served by the existing major leagues. The initial cities considered for the league included:

• New York City
• Houston
• Toronto
• Denver
• Minneapolis-St. Paul
• Atlanta
• Dallas-Fort Worth
• Buffalo

Impact on Major League Baseball

The announcement of the Continental League put pressure on the existing major leagues to expand. In response, both the American League and National League announced plans to add new teams. The American League added the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Senators in 1961, while the National League added the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45s (later the Houston Astros) in 1962.

Demise

The Continental League never played a game. The expansion of the existing leagues and the promise of future expansion led to the dissolution of the Continental League in 1960. Many of the cities that were considered for the Continental League eventually received major league teams through expansion or relocation.

Legacy

The Continental League is credited with accelerating the expansion of Major League Baseball in the 1960s. It demonstrated the viability of new markets and the demand for professional baseball in cities outside the traditional strongholds of the sport.

See also

• Major League Baseball expansion
• Branch Rickey
• William Shea

References

• Leonard,

 Koppett's Concise History of Major League Baseball, 
  
 Carroll & Graf, 
 2004, 
  
  
 ISBN 978-0786713971,

The Continental League(link). {{{website}}}. Society for American Baseball Research.

External links

• Baseball Reference Bullpen: Continental League