WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Old Ballgame: The Player's League

Episode Date: March 2, 2025

A look at one of the successful — or unsuccessful — revolts in baseball history.

Welcome to the old ball game, where we talk about the past of America's favorite pastime. I'm Tate Christensen. Today we take a look at the 1890 Players League. The Players League was a short-lived but influential baseball league that operated for just one season in 1890. It was created by players who wanted to fight against team owners and the Reserve Clause. In the late 1800s, Major League Baseball was dominated by team owners who controlled players' contracts through the Reserve Clause, which meant that players had little freedom to negotiate their salaries or to switch teams. Both the National League and American Association at the time had limited players' salaries at $2,000 per player in 1885,

equivalent to $65,000 today. John Montgomery Ward was a star pitcher-turned shortstop, and later, lawyer, who led the effort to create a league run by players that would allow athletes to have more control over their careers. The Players League had eight teams, most in cities with pre-existing ball teams. The teams included the Boston Reds, the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders, Chicago Pirates, the New York Giants, different from the one in the MLB, the Philadelphia Athletics, Pittsburgh Burgers, Buffalo Bisons, and the Cleveland Infants. The Players League was highly competitive and featured players such as MLB Hall of Famer Roger Connor, Tim Keefe, and King Kelly. Attendance at these league games was strong and often surpassed that of the National League and American Association at the time. The Boston Reds won the

only championship series the league ever held in 1890. Major League teams, especially the National League, did not take kindly to this Players League. The National League often pushed ballpark owners, local governments, and businessmen to sabotage the Players League. Members of the Players League, however, quickly learned that owners of MLB teams owned their teams for a reason, because they had the money to do so. At the end of the 1890 season, the Players League dissolved due to financial issues. Most Players League athletes returned to play in the National League. While the players aim to achieve better working conditions, many argue their plot didn't work

at all. The reserve clause, which the players aimed to dissolve, remained intact until 1975. has been the old ballgame on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.