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Little League baseball had its beginnings in 1938, when Carl E. Stotz of Williamsport, PA, formulated rules and playing field dimensions for a group of neighborhood boys. The following year, the league was formally established with three teams, each sponsored by a local business, and a second league was added in 1940. The idea spread rapidly after World War II. In 1947, Hammonton, NJ, established the first league outside of Pennsylvania, and the first National Little League Tournament (now known as the Little League World Series) was held. Little League expanded to 94 leagues in 1948, 307 in 1949, 776 in 1951, more than 1,500 in 1952, and more than 3,300 in 1954. By 1955, there were teams in all 48 contiguous states, as well as in Canada. Berlin, Germany, became the first European entry in the Little League World Series in 1960, when the final game was broadcast live on national television for the first time. Little League was originally for boys, aged 9 through 12. The program has expanded considerably through the years. Senior League Baseball, for the 13 to 15 age group, was created in 1961, and Big League Baseball, for 16- to 18-year-olds, was added in 1968. Because of a lawsuit rules were revised to allow participation by girls in 1974, and the Little League and Senior League softball programs were created for girls. A Big League softball program was added in 1980. In the meantime, teams from Taiwan and Japan had won seven of eight Little League World Series, and in 1975 teams from outside the United States were banned from advancing beyond regional play. There was such an outcry about that move, though, that the ban was lifted after one year. Currently, there are more than 3 million Little League Baseball players in more than 100 countries. The World Series format has been expanded to include 16 teams. As always, the World Series is played in Williamsport, where a second stadium has been built so that two games can be played simultaneously. Although the focus is on the original Little League World Series, there are also seven other Little League championships, played in locations outside Williamsport.
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The
term "Little League" and the Little League logo are
trademarks of Little League Baseball, Inc., Williamsport, Pa.,
extended only to local chartered leagues for purposes of
identification and publicity
