Where was baseball believed to have been invented?

Baseball has been around for a long time. It was one of the first sports invented, debuting in 1876. Since then, it's morphed and evolved into the game seen on television and in stands today. It's changed quite a bit, but the essence of the game that was invented all those years ago is still present today.

References to this game go back even further than 1876 though. It was referred to in a children's book in 1744. A similar game was played in the early 1800s before it was officially formed as a sport and a league in 1876.

That children's book reference was in England, which could be its place of birth. Most credit the game's birth to Cincinnati, Ohio. This is where MLB was officially born.

Though rudimentary versions of the game date further back and come from different places, the best estimate for where it was invented is Cincinnati, where the Reds currently play.

Cincinnati Reds v Chicago Cubs

An alternative theory put forward is that Abner Doubleday invented the game in Cooperstown, Ohio, but that's not considered a fact.

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Who invented baseball?

The common conception is that Doubleday invented America's pastime. He invented it in Cooperstown, which is why the Hall of Fame is located there. However, its true origins seem to be quite murky.

According to the History Channel, baseball is derived from two older sports.

"Its most direct ancestors appear to be two English games: rounders (a children’s game brought to New England by the earliest colonists) and cricket."

Doubleday wasn't around then to have invented the game, per se. Despite it not being a totally accurate origin, this is still widely accepted as baseball's beginning and, of course, the Hall of Fame is there as a result.

By the time the world recognized any of this, Doubleday was dead, so he couldn't confirm or deny the myth.

Baseball has been around for so long that its origins aren't totally clear. It's impressive that it is still one of the most popular sports today.