Major League Baseball (After the Black Sox)

Major League Baseball (MLB) is the blanket term for the hierarchy of professional baseball in North America. It is the oldest of the four major professional sports leagues in North America. A total of xx teams play in across the four leagues that comprise Major League Baseball, the National League (NL), the American League (AL), the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). The 16 teams of the NL and the AL are the World Tier of the Major League Baseball system, while the PCL and IL comprise the secondary, or National Tier. Major League Baseball's four major leagues are bound together by the principle of promotion and relegation.

Organizational structure
MLB is governed by the terms of the Charter of Professional Baseball. This document, originated as part of the Baseball Merger of 1947, outlines the structure of professional baseball and its associated hierarchies in North America. Chief to this is MLB's principle of promotion and relegation as well as baseball's postseason structure.

Under the Charter of Professional Baseball, dubbed the Baseball Supreme Court governs professional baseball. The nine-member commission, officially dubbed the Baseball Board of Directors, consists of two members from each league and chaired by the nonpartisan Commissioner of Baseball, a weak commissioner that operates similar to the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Commissioner decides which cases the board hears and decides the terms of temporary actions.

The 16 teams in the World Tier compete annually in The World Series, while the teams of the National Tier leagues compete for The National Cup. Teams are promoted to and from the World and National tiers based on the outcome of The Civil War, a three-game series between the top teams of the National Tier and the lowest teams in the World Tier.

League Organization
The organization of Major League Baseball has undergone significant changes since the National League and American League emerged as the two major leagues in professional baseball in 1901.

Major League Baseball currently comprises of a 16-team World Tier and a XX-team National Tier.

From 1901 to 1920, the American and National leagues fielded eight teams apiece. Beginning in 1921, the National League fielded 12 teams annually, with the exception of 1928, when it fielded 14 teams. The American League has fielded eight teams annually since 1921. The International and Pacific Coast leagues each fielded eight teams apiece until the Baseball Merger in 1947.

National Commission era
From 1903 to 1920, the National Commission governed Major League Baseball. The National Commission was a three-person committee which oversaw organized baseball until its dissolution in 1920 prior to the beginning of the Great Baseball War. The membership consisted of a chairperson, the American League president, and the National League president. The Commission was created by the National Agreement of 1903, which gave it the power to interpret and carry out the terms and provisions of the National Agreement, as well as the ability to enact and enforce fines and suspensions.

During the National Commission era, the champions of the American and National leagues competed in The World Series to determine the world champion of baseball.

The National Commission was plagued with problems as many of its members were often club presidents while they held their post on the body. This often raised suspicions of conflicts of interest and that self-interest influenced some of its decisions.

In 1920, in the aftermath of the Black Sox Scandal, the American League and National League dissolved the National Commission and severed ties. The National League became a 12-club league, unilaterally governed by the Commissioner of the National League. The American League, left with only five of its original teams, added three expansion clubs to main its 8-club membership. Combined with the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the American League became governed by the 6-member Board of Professional Baseball, chaired by the American League President.

Off and on from 1933 to 1947, during the Great Baseball War era, the winner of the American Classic exhibition, a one-game championship between the American and National League champions, are historically considered as the "world champion."

In 1947, the Baseball Merger, under the terms of the Charter of Professional Baseball, redefined Major League Baseball as the four prominent professional baseball leagues in North America: the American, National, International and Pacific Coast leagues. In 1950, the Charter of Professional Baseball incorporated the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (minor leagues).

The World Series as we now know it would resume in 1948.

The Modern Era
Since the Baseball Merger, Major League Baseball has had only four traditional expansion teams, by far the least among professional sports leagues. Existing teams, however, have petitioned to and in some cases joined the National Tier.

In 1950, the 12-team American Association, the most highly-regarded minor league at the time, petitioned for inclusion into Major League Baseball. By a 5-4 vote, this move was denied by the Baseball Supreme Court, chiefly because American Association teams were already serving as affiliates of Major League ball clubs.

Later that winter, the Homestead Grays, one of the most successful Negro League clubs, petitioned to join the International League. Because the Grays were an independent team, they were approved in a contentious 5-4 vote, commissioner XX again breaking the tie. Washington Senators owner Clark Griffith, who served on the Baseball Supreme Court, vehemently opposed the move since he didn't want to share the market with the Grays, and wasn't keen on the viability of a Negro League team. Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney, who had helped the Grays out financially over the years, helped lobby for the Grays to move to its original home in Pittsburgh, Pa. Griffith flipped his vote after that offer, and the Homestead Grays became the ninth team in the International League.

Upon the team's approval to join the league, See Posey became the first African-American owner in major professional sports.

In 1951, the American Association champion, XXXXX, withdrew from its affiliation agreement with the XXXX and petitioned to join the International League. By a 6-3 vote, the Baseball Supreme Court approved the move. After assigning its players to the XXX parent club, the XXX joined the Pacific Coast League as its 9th member. XXX, in turn, sent its AA farm team, the XXX of the XXX League.

Major League Baseball would not accept another team's petition to join the league for over 40 years.

In 1960, to address the influx of World tier teams moving to the West Coast, the National tiers underwent a geographic realignment, adding expansion teams in XXX and XXX in the process. The expansion gave the International and Pacific Coast leagues 10 teams apiece.

In 1969, Major League Baseball again voted to expand, but did so by allowing the top two finishers in the American Association to join the National tier as a one-time promotion. XXX would win the 1969 American Association championship, but owner XXX could not afford the franchise feeds to join the National tier. Too late to rush an expansion team for the 1970 season, the Major Leagues held a haphazard application process for independent, unaffiliated teams to join the league. On January 7, 1970, the first major professional sports franchise from Mexico, Diablos Rojos del México (Mexico City Red Devils), was approved as the 11th team of the International League. XXX of the American Association dissolved its affiliate agreement with XXX and became the 11th team of the Pacific Coast League.

In 1993, the National tier added its 23rd and 24th teams when expansion franchises were added in XXX and XXX.