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The Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball team, a charter member of the National League who started play in the National Association of Base Ball Players in 1870 as the Chicago White Stockings, before joining the National Association in 1871. They are the only franchise to play continuously in the same city since the formation of the National League in 1876. They are the earliest formed active professional sports club in North America, predating the team now known as the Atlanta Braves by one year.
Lore & Background
In their early history, they were called the White Stockings, Orphans, Infants, Remnants and Colts by the press before officially becoming the 'Cubs' in 1903. The club won the NABBP championship in 1870, although the title was disputed by the opposing club, the New York Mutuals. After the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, the club dropped out of the league during the city's recovery period until being revived in 1874.
Reader's Guide
The team's early home grounds included Ogden Park, Dexter Park, Union Base-Ball Grounds (in Lake Park, later Grant Park), and the 23rd Street Grounds. Key early figures include William Hulbert (club president), Albert Spalding (pitcher and later owner), and Cap Anson (first baseman and manager). The White Stockings won the National League's first championship in 1876.
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