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AAL Teams Named
So it comes to this: Twenty teams that comprise the All-American League.
Since the AAL formed, they set about to try and get into the cities of where the major league teams were, but in a suburb or a town close to that city. Some MLB cities, in response, refused the All America League anyplace close to their franchises.
St. Louis was adamant that no team be placed in their backyard, that the team was finally moved to Muscatine (IA). Some cities were chosen because of their proximity to the larger cities, but some like Muscatine made their offers lucrative by the area they were located.
In the city of Chicago, there were some stiff resistance to the league, but finally Oak Park in the central park of the Windy City, and Skokie to the south, finally were chosen. Brooklyn was one of the first cities offered a franchise since the Dodgers had abandoned them earlier.
Also in the state of Ohio, Cleveland and Cincinnati were able to push the AAL out to Canton and Dayton, respectively. Two of the larger cities in California, Los Angeles and San Francisco, always ready for more share of the entertainment value, allowed Hollywood and Alameda to get a franchise. Hollywood in fact, left minor league status to become an AAL team.
In Missouri, Kansas City lost its chance to snare another team, when too late it allowed a suburb to submit a application and the team was awarded to Jefferson City, the capital of Missouri. In the same vein, strong local ownership in the NFL’s Packers, allowed the Green Bay applicants their NL team.
Other areas have sparse representation and will be closely followed. Teams like Newark (DE) and Laurel (MA), are a unsteady choice, as both Baltimore and Washington were very protective of their area, costing Elliot City and Virginia City their chance of a AAL team.
Seaford will be watched most intently, as they are close to the largest market in the All American League, and got their franchise when other boroughs closer to Yankee Stadium and the Yankees lost out when NYY claimed imminent domain over those bidders.
In Los Angeles, both the Dodgers and the Angels refused suburbs of LA to be considered. In the end, Riverside got the nod for the west coast members along with Alameda. The discussion of lawsuits was hot and heavy in the state of Pennsylvania, where finally Erie and Reading got their franchises, not without a last minute reprieve from the Governor.
Starting with the National League:
Alameda
Hollywood
Dayton
Erie
Green Bay
Muscatine
Reading
Waco
Skokie
Brooklyn
Starting with the American League:
Seaford
Duluth
Riverside
Lansing
Oak Park
Canton
Newark
Whitman
Jefferson City
Laurel
More coming soon.
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