On March 15, 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings made history by becoming the first fully professional baseball team in the United States. The team, formed by a group of businessmen led by Harry Wright, paid its players salaries and revolutionized the sport by demonstrating that baseball could be a profitable enterprise. The success of the Cincinnati Red Stockings paved the way for the growth of professional baseball and the establishment of the modern Major League Baseball (MLB) system.
