Quote:
Originally Posted by italyprof
Where are Middletown (New York State?) and Rockford anyway?
Don't you all love the towns that qualified for major leagues back then?
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Middletown CT
Rockford IL
Any club could compete for the NA championship provided it: (1) was a member of the NA; and (2) paid a small fee (I think it was $10 or $15) to enter into the competition for the "whip pennant." Of course, the entry fee was peanuts in comparison to the expenses for things like travel, road accommodations, park rental, advertising, and player salaries. I suppose small-town clubs like Rockford and Middletown looked at the entry fee and thought "we can afford that" without thinking about all those other expenses that they would have to incur in order to compete with big-city clubs like Boston. That's why those small-city clubs like Fort Wayne and Elizabeth NJ usually lasted for only a handful of games before calling it quits.