Fans pour onto the field at Boston's Huntington Avenue Grounds during the 1903 World Series between the Boston Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates
Baseball’s evolution continued The all white major leagues finally admitted black players in 1947 In the 1950s the majors moved west with the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers shifting to San Francisco and Los Angeles respectively Six waves of expansion from 1961 through 1998 put teams into new cities and the major leagues expanded from 16 to 30 teams Radio television and the Internet extended the sport’s reach to every corner of the country Baseball has added night games a designated hitter and talent from around the world Now it pays its best players millions of dollars It has also been criticized for its slow pace of play and not connecting with young fans Yet major league fans remain loyal In 2017 major league attendance was close to 73 million The Cubs victory over the Indians in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series attracted more than 40 million TV viewers
The 2016 Cubs celebrate their place in history after winning the World Series
Baseball has endured Now a 19th-century game in the 21st century millions of fans still love its history and strategy Its slower pace allows fathers and daughters and mothers and sons to savor it talk about it and bond through it And when their team wins a championship they celebrate together
