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 league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
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, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
of the
National League
National League often refers to:
*National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada
*National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...
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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
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 Researchbr>
MLB Constitution
Major League Baseball rules