In the early 1920s, as baseball was becoming America's game, small towns in West Virginia embraced it throughout the coalfields. Little boys dreamed of being the next Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig while playing with baseballs made from paper and tape. Each spring and summer, wooden bats cracked and cheering fans roared across the mountains. The sport grew so popular that leagues formed across the area with regular season schedules, playoffs, and championship games, and many teams were sponsored by coal companies. Nearly every mining town had its own team, including Helen in the Raleigh County League, alongside other area leagues such as the Black Diamond League, the United Mine Workers League, and the Tri-County League. People throughout each town took part either on the field or in the stands, and residents took great pride in their teams. That pride was evident when touring clubs such as the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles played local teams in the coalfields, where the locals won many times.