Since the turn of the century, minor league baseball leagues have been known as bush leagues because the “farm teams” belonging to them are usually located in towns “out in the bush” that are smaller and more rural than those hosting major league teams. Though bush leaguers were often farmed up to the majors, the general level of play in the leagues was far inferior to that in the big leagues and bush league came to mean second-rate, unprofessional, amateur or inferior in any endeavor.