Advertisement on car from Electric railway journal.

Electric railway journal.

Advertisement on car.

Play ball! The advertisement on the side of this cable car from 1909 is an invitation for fans to come and watch one of America’s favorite pastimes: baseball. The sport has been played in the United States since the 19th century. The first team to play baseball under the modern rules that we know today was the New York Knickerbockers, founded on September 23, 1845. The team was an amateur club that served mostly as a social gathering for the players. In 1857, The National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) was formed. Believe it or not, the Civil War was a major reason for the growing popularity of baseball in America. During the war, membership of the NABBP grew, and players that happened to be stationed together would play the game in their free time. Baseball helped people across the country connect with one another, and as a result, baseball became the most popular sport in the United States. In 1870, the NABBP split into two groups, with the new group being an association for professional players. This league would continue to grow into the Major League Baseball that we know today.