Executive Summary

In December 1968 Major League Baseball collapsed at the Winter Meetings. A shadowy coalition known as The Consortium purchased MLB assets and IP and announced Corporate League Baseball (CLB) in March 1969. CLB consists of two Major Leagues — the Executive League and the Capitalist League — each with 20 teams owned by corporations. The league is four months old when Opening Day is set for April 4, 1969. This document captures the launch‑era canon: corporate positioning, announced plans, seeded controversies, governance structure, and operational rules. No games have been played; all entries are launch profiles and narrative seeds.

Canon Facts and Governance

Founding Event

• MLB collapse: December 1968 Winter Meetings.
• Consortium purchase and CLB announcement: March 1969.
• Opening Day: April 4, 1969.

The Consortium

• A deliberately opaque coalition of corporations, investors, politicians, and civic actors.
• Public rumors link influence to high political offices; whispers reach the White House.
• The Consortium purchased all pre‑1969 MLB history and IP; CLB controls legacy narratives.

League Leadership

• CEO: Jim O’Kelly — logistics engineer, unknown prior to the rescue, blunt and sarcastic, chosen as a compromise candidate to operationalize Consortium decisions.

• Structural Changes at Launch
• Roster size: 26 players.
• Regular season: 174 games.
• Financial model: Revised revenue sharing and salary frameworks intended to limit runaway spending while rewarding corporate investment. The system is new and contested.
• Broadcast model: Central national TV partner for marquee games; clubs negotiate local TV and radio deals; league plans reality and documentary programming.

Tone and Messaging

Corporate messaging varies by owner: satirical, sinister, earnest, or absurdist depending on corporate character. Three flagship corporations receive extra narrative focus: Death by Design, Just Us Dining (rumored opaque finances), and Human Values Media (manufactures moral controversies).