The success and fame of the Brooklyn Atlantics, organized baseballs first true dynasty, and the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1867-1870) baseballs first openly all-professional team, led to a minor explosion of other openly professional clubs by the late 1860s, each with the singular goal of defeating the Red Stockings, who had accumulated an unparalleled 89 game winning streak. A number of them adopted variants on basing the team name on the team colors, and it happens that the Chicago club, which was officially known as The Chicago Base Ball Club, adopted white. On April 29, 1870, the Chicago White Stockings played their first game against the St. Louis Unions, and soundly defeated the Unions 47-1.
After some individually arranged contests, using mostly the same roster, Chicago managed to put together a 10 man roster and joined the nations top organized league, which was now allowing entry to professionals. This league, known as the National Association of Base Ball Players, had been primarily dominated by the Atlantics and until very recently before the admitting of the Red Stockings and the White Stockings, had consisted of mostly baseball clubs from the New York and Washington D.C. areas. Despite this East Coast dominance, Chicago won the NABBP championship that year, although the title was disputed by the opposing club, the New York Mutuals.