Spartans of Martlewy, more commonly known as Spartans or The Spartans, is a professional baseball club based in Martletwy, Longdon, Ianoia. They are recognised as the most successful amateur baseball club in Ianoia prior to turning professional at the start of the 1907 baseball season. They are the 13th team to become professional in Ianoia, but for superstitious reasons, are listed as the 12.9th team to do so to avoid the number 13.
The club was founded by a group of friends wishing to pursue baseball as a fun activity after watching Albert Spalding’s team of All-Stars and the Chicago Club tour Ianoia in the summer of 1889. They joined the Ianoian Baseball Association on the 12th of August 1891 after encouragement from other friends due to their success.
Having never played in any tournaments prior to turning professional, the strict amateur-only Spartans quickly built up a formidable reputation as being the best team in the country, even making regular tours to the Koana Islands between 1892 and 1896 to play exhibition games. They notably beat BK Randia twice in 1895. They stopped travelling to Koana Islands in 1897 after the creation of the Super Ligan, with Spartans players opposing the professionalization of what they believed should be an inherently amateur pursuit.
After the I-League was created in 1900, the club continued to shun the professional aspect of the sport, but the writing was on the wall when some players – tempted by money – left and signed with professional teams. Spartans of Martlewy soon started to struggle financially, with less talented amateur players not enticing crowds as they once did and after being approached in November of 1906 if they were interested in joining the I-League, they reluctantly accepted. They replaced Donyatt-Burstwick who were voted out of the competition for poor results in the first ever re-election process.
The club plays it’s games at Shadow Garden, a ballpark that is situated right in the heart of downtown overlooked by a couple of tall office buildings that get rented out to fans on Saturdays and Sundays. The field is a power-hitters dream, with a short outfield only hampered slightly by 11-foot walls that become 16-feet in right of canter. Triples are down nearly 20% but that doesn’t stop the rabid fans chanting “Trip-Trip-Triple!” anytime one is scored.
Spartans, named after the city-state of Sparta that was considered a warrior society which the founders believed to be powerful, play in red and black.