In the wake of the 1919 White Sox scandal and the suspension for life of eight players, baseball saw a precipitous decline in popularity, especially among America's youth. To combat this, a group of World War I veterans who were members of the newly formed American Legion created an organization to promote teenage interest in baseball. Led by John L. Griffith, who became the first commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, the Legion undertook the revival of baseball. In the 1920s and through the Great Depression and World War II, Legion baseball grew steadily. By 1950 it had become the principal training ground for major league players, boasting at its peak more than 16,000 teams across the country. Tracing the long history of this uniquely American institution, this work details each year's American Legion World Series and the ups and downs of participation over nearly a century.

The small and midsized cities of western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia reached their peaks of population and prosperity in the second quarter of the 20th century. The baseball teams from these towns formed the Middle Atlantic League, the strongest circuit in the low minors and the one with the most alumni to advance to the majors. The MAL played from 1925 through 1951 and went through three distinct phases. In the pre-Depression years, communities rallied around the home team, which always stood one step from financial disaster. During the Great Depression, the league flourished as president Elmer Daily magically found investors and night baseball boosted attendance working class. Middle Atlantic League clubs enjoyed a modicum of financial stability and an infusion of outstanding young players and became talent farms for major league teams. During this period Akron, Dayton, Canton, Springfield, Portsmouth and Zanesville, Ohio became the core cities of the league's strongest era. Following World War II, America and baseball experienced seismic cultural and economic shifts with television, the baby boom, suburban growth and changing family values, which overwhelmed the league and its cities.