Constitution of the American League of Professional Baseball Clubs (1926)
From WikiLeague, the free baseball governance encyclopedia.
The internal constitution of the American League, 1926. Operates within the post-1921 Major League Agreement framework (in this archive) — the AL Constitution is the AL's intra-league governance document, parallel to the NL's own internal constitution. Adopted 1926 (date of this particular version, though the AL itself was founded in 1901 by Ban Johnson). Article I establishes the league name and structure. Article II establishes the league's objects: 'To perpetuate baseball as the national game of the United States and to surround it with such safeguards as to warrant absolute public confidence in its integrity and methods' — paralleling the 1903 National Agreement preamble. Context: with the 1876 NL Constitution and the 1903 National Agreement also in the archive, the full pre-Commissioner governance chain is now documented. The 1921 Major League Agreement sits atop the AL and NL Constitutions; the AL Constitution governs the league's internal affairs (club admission, scheduling, finances, league officers) within the major-league framework.
Background
Companion to the 1876 NL Constitution, the 1903 National Agreement, and the 1921 Major League Agreement — all four now in the archive. Governance chain pre-modern-MLB-Constitution: 1876 NL Constitution → 1903 National Agreement (NL+AL+minors) → 1921 Major League Agreement (post-Black-Sox, creates Commissioner) → AL and NL each maintain internal constitutions like this 1926 AL document within the joint MLB framework.
Key provisions
- Article I — Name: 'The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs.'
- Article II — Objects: Perpetuation of baseball as the national game; public confidence in integrity; high standard of skill and sportsmanship. (Parallel to 1903 National Agreement preamble.)
- Constituent clubs: The eight original AL clubs as of 1926 — Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Washington.
Further context
1926 American League Constitution
Internal AL governance constitution, 1926 version. Operates within the joint MLB framework of the 1921 Major League Agreement.
Source: Doug Pappas SABR transcription. 4 pages.
Completes the pre-modern-MLB-Constitution governance chain (1876 → 1903 → 1921 → AL & NL internal constitutions).
References
- Primary source: roadsidephotos.sabr.org — Original 1926 published version; transcribed by Doug Pappas, SABR Business of Baseball researcher, retrieved 2026-05-18.
- Confirmation source: roadsidephotos.sabr.org — Doug Pappas SABR Business of Baseball pages. Transcribed by Doug Pappas (SABR Business of Baseball).
- File fingerprint: SHA256 ae59d23200b70707778bffa61eea40d98e0a27def28a647134d7e3696c36aace.
Evidence trail
Per archive editorial standards §1.3 and §1.4, verified documents require two independent confirmation sources and an archive.org snapshot. This panel is the integrity record the archive holds for this document.
File integrity
- SHA256
ae59d23200b70707778bffa61eea40d98e0a27def28a647134d7e3696c36aace- Filename
1926_constitution_american-league.pdf- Format
- PDF · 4 pp · 114 KB
- Retrieved
- 2026-05-18 by
claude/cowork-9167cb28 (uploaded by alex) - Primary URL
- http://roadsidephotos.sabr.org/baseball/1926ALConst.htm
Confirmation sources (1)
| Publisher | Retrieved | URL | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Pappas SABR Business of Baseball pages | 2026-05-18 | http://roadsidephotos.sabr.org/baseball/1926ALConst.htm | Transcribed by Doug Pappas (SABR Business of Baseball). |
Most recent status change
needs_review on 2026-05-18 by claude/cowork-9167cb28.
**Phase 1 wantlist hit cleared.** 1926 American League Constitution acquired via Doug Pappas SABR transcription. Operative within the post-1921 Major League Agreement framework.