<P> The expansion of Major League Baseball out west mirrors the story of the expansion of the population in the United States . As the economy in the country grew , Americans headed out west . Baseball soon followed , likely because of the ease of travel by commercial jet . The American economy flourished in the 1960s , and baseball was able to expand and evolve at an unprecedented rate . Economic push and pull factors caused many teams to relocate , and the emergence of cities in the new frontier allowed baseball teams to pop up across the country . The moves of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants to California in 1958 broke the ice and opened the West Coast to the market of baseball . Starting in the 1960s , both the National and American Leagues expanded to add teams in new and existing cities , adding 14 teams as of 2017 . </P>
<P> The expansion of Major League Baseball out west mirrors the story of the expansion of the population in the United States . As the economy in the country grew , Americans headed out west . Baseball soon followed , likely because of the ease of travel by commercial jet . The American economy flourished in the 1960s , and baseball was able to expand and evolve at an unprecedented rate . Economic push and pull factors caused many teams to relocate , and the emergence of cities in the new frontier allowed baseball teams to pop up across the country . The moves of the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants to California in 1958 broke the ice and opened the West Coast to the market of baseball . Starting in the 1960s , both the National and American Leagues expanded to add teams in new and existing cities , adding 14 teams as of 2017 . </P>
major westward moves in sports franchises began in earnest in the major sports in
major westward moves in sports franchises began in earnest in the major sports in
1960s
1960s