ChronoFive
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Setting the scene
Carl Stotz had founded Little League in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to give boys organized baseball; by the late 1940s he envisioned a championship that could unite local leagues.
What happened
The first Little League World Series was played in 1947 in Williamsport, with Maynard Mays of Williamsport's Original League beating a team from Lock Haven.
Why it still matters
The tournament became a summer television ritual and expanded internationally, turning youth baseball into a global youth-sports brand. Memorable detail: only local Pennsylvania teams competed in that first series—international teams arrived years later.
Background
Youth baseball became an international summer ritual.