MLB
Major League Baseball (MLB) is North America's premier professional baseball organization and the oldest major sports league in the world, consisting of 30 teams divided between the National League and American League. Beyond its real-world sporting heritage, MLB operates a massive global entertainment brand featuring acclaimed documentary films, digital streaming networks, and long-running interactive video game franchises.
Cronologia
Panoramica
Major League Baseball (MLB) serves as the governing entity operating North America's two major professional baseball leagues: the National League (NL) and the American League (AL).
Under the direction of Commissioner Rob Manfred, MLB operates as a single unified structure comprising 30 teams split evenly into six divisions (NL East, NL Central, NL West, AL East, AL Central, AL West).
Each team competes in a 162-game regular season running from late March to October, culminating in a three-round postseason playoff and the World Series championship. MLB oversees the sport's central operations, including umpiring crews, marketing, television contracts, and minor league relationships. The organization also maintains a powerful multimedia and streaming wing through New York-based MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM)—which manages MLB.com and team digital rights—alongside MLB Productions and the MLB Network. Through its extensive network partnerships and digital media ventures, MLB has expanded its footprint from traditional ballpark entertainment into a global multimedia ecosystem.
Origini
The foundations of Major League Baseball trace back to the 19th century. In 1876, the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs was established following the disbandment of the transitional National Association (1871–1875).
The circuit grew into the dominant professional league, competing against rival entities over the decades, including the American Association (1882–1891), Union Association (1884), and Players' League (1890). In 1900, Ban Johnson renamed the minor Western League as the American League, declaring it a competing major league in 1901.
Following a brief conflict over player rosters, the NL and AL signed the historic National Agreement in 1903. This established a joint organizational structure and created the modern World Series between the two league champions. MLB's unique operational governance was further solidified in 1922 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in *Federal Baseball Club v. National League* that baseball was not considered interstate commerce, granting the sport a unique exemption from federal antitrust laws.
I PEZZI DI MLB
Collezionismo
For sports media collectors and video game enthusiasts, Major League Baseball represents a vast market centered on officially licensed simulation franchises, physical game media, and historical archival releases. Key licensed interactive lines have defined modern baseball collecting, notably 2K's *MLB 2K* series (2005–2013) featuring cover stars like Derek Jeter, and Sony Interactive Entertainment's long-running *MLB: The Show* series (2006–present) developed by San Diego Studio.
Physical game releases featuring iconic cover athletes serve as major collector milestones, such as *MLB The Show 26*, which featured New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge as its global cover star for a second time. Additionally, archival physical home media and documentary collections—such as Ken Burns's multi-part *Baseball* series and historical retrospectives produced by MLB Network—hold significant value for fans dedicated to preserving the documented history of the sport.
Curiosità
In 1922, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Federal Baseball Club v. National League that baseball is exempt from federal antitrust laws. The 2002 MLB All-Star Game ended in an unpopular 11-inning tie because both teams ran out of available pitchers.
Pitcher Dock Ellis famously threw a no-hitter in 1970 under the influence of LSD, an event documented in No No: A Dockumentary. In March 2026, Aaron Judge became the first player featured on the global cover of MLB The Show twice with the release of MLB The Show 26. The Milwaukee Brewers switched from the American League to the National League in 1998, making them the only team to switch major leagues since 1900.
The Milwaukee Brewers are the only team to switch major leagues since 1900, moving from the AL to the NL in 1998.
