The Louisville Grays Scandal of 1877: The Taint of Gambling at the Dawn of the National League

By the mid-1870s, gambling in baseball threatened the public's confidence in the sport and its very existence as a professional enterprise. Recognizing this, Chicago owner William A. Hulbert and seven of his colleagues formed the National League, dedicating it to such high-minded ideals as preventing contract jumping and, most importantly, eliminating gambling from the sport.

Hulbert's new league was severely threatened in 1877 by a gambling scandal that rocked its foundation. In mid-seaso...