World War One was rough on baseball.
World War Two didn't do any favors for professional sports, but baseball really struggled with the Great War. Almost all the players were of military age and conscription depleted the ranks. The U.S. Government attempted to shut it down entirely under the "work or fight" order issued early in the summer, but the game resisted, with the assistance of the fans.
It was really the only national game at the time. During World War Two a less puritanical approach to the war would mean that the government would see value in sports and recreation in order to boost the spirits on the home front. During World War One, not so much.
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