MLB

The current iteration of Major League Baseball (MLB) was formed in 1903, when the National League and the American League signed the National Agreement, making it the oldest professional sports league in the U.S. The National League's first team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was founded in 1869; MLB now has 30 teams across both leagues. Each team plays 162 games over the duration of the six-month-long season, and the playoffs culminate in the World Series, a seven-game championship between the AL and NL champions.

Throughout the league's history, MLB has been marred by several significant scandals, including the Black Sox Scandal, when the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, and the doping era, when players abused performance-enhancing drugs in the 1990s and early 2000s.

MLB’s commissioner is Rob Manfred, whose contract was recently extended for a third and final term, running through the beginning of 2029.

The New York Yankees—who have won 27 World Series titles, the most in baseball—were valued at $7.93 billion in 2024, ranking as Sportico’s most valuable MLB franchise and third most valuable team in professional sports behind the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. The average MLB team is worth $2.64 billion.