baseball started out being a game children played. baseball's rise in popularity e with professional gamblers noticing the game. those who ran gambling games thought adults would be more interested if they could bet on who would win. this would also add profits for gambling halls. very soon gamblers were paying players to lose intentionally (called "throwing" a game) for a percentage of the profits. players, fans and probably even umpires, all gambled on every part of a game. this is how most players made any money playing baseball.