The Major League Baseball Constitution is a document under which the day-to-day operation of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
is conducted. It was originally drafted in 1903 as the Constitution of the National League and has since been amended several times, most recently in June 2005.
1876 National League Constitution
The 1876
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
of the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
consisted of 14 articles. The League originally consisted of 8 teams:
*Athletic Base Ball Club of Philadelphia, PA
*Boston Base Ball Club of Boston, MA
*Hartford Base Ball Club of Hartford, CT
*Mutual Base Ball Club of Brooklyn, NY
*Chicago Base Ball Club of Chicago, IL
*Cincinnati Base Ball Club of Cincinnati, OH
*Louisville Base Ball Club of Louisville, KY
*St. Louis Base Ball Club of St. Louis, MO
Under the original constitution, the League had 3 objects: to encourage baseball, to take care of the
interests of the players, and to establish and regulate the baseball championship of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
The League was governed by a five-member Board from among whom was elected a President. The Board also selected a Secretary and Treasurer. Annual dues for each Club were $100.
Current Major League Constitution
The current constitution consists of the following sections:
*Article I - Formation and Duration of Constitution
*Article II - The Commissioner (9 sections)
*Article III - The Executive Council (4 sections)
*Article IV - Rules, Resolutions and Regulations
*Article V - Major League Meetings (3 sections)
*Article VI - Arbitration (3 sections)
*Article VII - Superseding Effect
*Article VIII - Clubs and Territories
*#30 clubs, 2 leagues, 3 divisions (lists the clubs in each league and division)
*#Expansion, Contraction, Realignment, Divisions
*#Voluntary Termination
*#Involuntary Termination (12 subsections a-l)
*#Termination Procedure
*#Effect of Termination
*#Effect of Termination on Active Player Contracts and Reservation Rights
*#Operating Territories
*#*a) National League (lists cities)
*#*b) American League (lists cities)
*#Home Television Territories
*Article IX - Conduct of Championship Season and Post-Season
*#Schedule
*#Playing Rules
*#Parks not to be changed during season
*#Championship Season and Post-Season
*#All-Star Game
*Article X - Major League Central Fund
*#Maintenance of Major League Central Fund
*#All-Star Game Revenues and Expenses
*#Major League Club Broadcasts (4 subsections a-d)
*#National and International Broadcast, Copyright and Royalties
*#Payments from Central Fund, Books of Account (4 subsections a-d)
*#Termination of Central Fund
*Article XI - Miscellaneous
*#Fiscal Responsibility
*#Indemnification of officials
*#Major League Regulations
See also
* ''
The Official Professional Baseball Rules Book''
References
{{reflist
External links
Business of Baseballat the
Society of American Baseball Research
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...
Major League Baseball rules