Great Baseball War (After the Black Sox)

The Great Baseball War refers to rivalry between the American League and National League between 1921 and 1947. After the breakup of Major League Baseball in 1921, the two leagues competed to establish itself as the top major professional baseball league.

Early rivals for the National League
In 1876, the National League rose from the rapidly weakening National Association of Professional Base Ball Players  to become the first sustaining major baseball league in the United States. As the league sought to establish itself, it encountered competition from the American Association in 1882. The A.A. played in cities where the NL did not have teams, offered Sunday games and alcoholic beverages in locales where permitted, and sold cheaper tickets everywhere (25 cents versus the NL's standard 50 cents, a hefty sum for many in 1882).

The National League and the American Association participated in a version of the World Series seven times during their ten-year coexistence. These contests were less organized than the modern Series, lasting as few as three games and as many as fifteen, with two Series (1885 and 1890) ending in disputed ties. The NL won four times and the A.A. only once, in 1886.

Starting with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1887, the National League began to raid the American Association for franchises to replace NL teams that folded. This undercut the stability of the A.A.

Other new leagues that rose to compete with the National League were the Union Association and the Players' League. The Union Association was established in 1884 and folded after playing only one season, its league champion St. Louis Maroons joining the NL. The Players' League was established in 1890 by the Brotherhood of Professional Base-Ball Players, the sport's first players' union, which had failed to persuade the NL to modify its labor practices, including a salary cap and a reserve clause that bound players to their teams indefinitely. The NL suffered many defections of star players to the Players' League, but the P.L. collapsed after one season.

As the 20th century dawned, the NL was in trouble. Conduct among players was poor, and fistfights were a common sight at games. Team owners argued with each other and players hated the NL's $2,400 salary cap. Many teams also ran into trouble with city governments that forbade recreational activities on Sunday.

Emergence of the American League
After eight seasons as a 12-team league, the NL contracted back to eight teams for the 1900 season, eliminating its teams in Baltimore, Cleveland, Louisville, and Washington. This provided an opportunity for competition. Three of those cities received franchises in the new American League (AL) when the AL opened for business in 1900, with the approval of the NL, which regarded the AL as a lesser league. The AL declined to renew its National Agreement membership when it expired, and on January 28, 1901, the AL officially declared itself a second major league in competition with the NL. By 1903, the upstart AL had placed new teams in the National League cities of Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. Only the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates had no AL team in their markets. The AL among other things enforced a strict conduct policy among its players.

The National League at first refused to recognize the new league, but reality set in as talent and money was split between the two leagues, diluting the league and decreasing financial success. After two years of bitter contention, a new version of the National Agreement was signed in 1903. This meant formal acceptance of each league by the other as an equal partner in major-league baseball, mutual respect of player contracts, and an agreement to play a postseason championship—the World Series.

The Lasker Plan and the breakup of the Major Leagues
This mutual respect between the two leagues lasted until November 1920. In the wake of The Black Sox Scandal of 1919, Major League Baseball owners in both leagues showed a willingness to re-organize the game to address the impact of gambling on the game of baseball.

Up until that point, Major League Baseball was governed by the National Commission, a three-person committee which oversaw organized baseball. The membership consisted of a chairperson, the American League president, and the National League president. In 1920, the National Commission consisted of American League President Ban Johnson, the original head of the A.L. at the time of its inception, National League President John Heydler, and Cincinnati Reds owner August Herrmann.

To address clubs' willingness to re-organize baseball, Chicago Cubs shareholder Albert Lasker proposed what was called The Lasker Plan, which proposed the creation of a three-man tribunal comprised of "three men of such unquestionable reputation in fields other than baseball." The proposed tribunal of baseball civilians would replace the National Commission.

All eight National League clubs, as well as three American League clubs (Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees - known as the "Insurrectos") supported the plan. American League President Ban Johnson, alongside "the loyal five" American League clubs (Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Athletics, St. Louis Browns and Washington Senators) were not in favor of the plan. The Red Sox, White Sox and Yankees threatened to move to the National League, all of which supported a complete re-organization of baseball.

In a letter dated October 29, 1920, American League President Ban Johnson sent a letter to all National League clubs and the three "insurrecto" American League clubs, denouncing the "Lasker Plan" and instead proposing a nine-member board of control, consisting of three American League representatives, three National League representatives, and three National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues (minor leagues) representatives. Johnson's proposed board would replace the existing National Commission.

Not heeding the suggestion, on November 8, 1920, National League clubs along with the three "insurrectos" of the American League met in Chicago. The 11 clubs unanimously selected Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis as Chairman for the proposed three-member Board of Control of professional baseball. In doing so, it also announced that it would create a 12-club league under Landis' chairmanship, consisting of the 11 clubs and the first American League team to defect and join the National League under the governance of the proposed Board of Control. In the event that a team did not defect, as was the case, an expansion team would be placed in Detroit.

American League's pact with the minor leagues
On November 9, a day after the "New National League" was announced, Johnson addressed the minor leagues convention in Kansas City. Johnson gave an impassioned speech to minor league owners, describing the unwillingness of the National League to give a voice to the minor leagues. Johnson's comments stoked NAPBL leadership, which was still upset in light of the dissolution of the National Agreement between the major and minor leagues in 1919. The National Agreement allowed such things as the ability for teams to draft from minor league squads and forbade major league teams from "farming" players into the minor leagues.

Following the meeting, Johnson reportedly had a conversation with Michael Sexton, president of the NAPBL. Sexton indicated that, without a National Agreement in force, that the NAPBL would be open to negotiations with the new American League for an exclusive agreement.

The discussion, in essence, provided the American League the foundation it needed in the upcoming war against the National League.

On January 4, 1921, the NAPBL agreed to an exclusive five-year agreement with the American League, allowing the American League exclusive rights to purchase NAPBL players, to extend the reserve clause to minor league ballclubs, and allow farming agreements with American League clubs. The American Agreement essentially barred National League clubs from growing its roster through minor league ballplayers, and the first shot was fired in the Great Baseball War.