Complex sentence: MLB withstood the challenge of the Federal League in 1914 and prevented the Continental League from getting off the ground in the early 1960s by awarding franchises to some of the proposed CL cities.
Split into simpler sentences: MLB withstood the challenge of the Federal League in 1914. MLB prevented the Continental League from getting off the ground in the early 1960s by awarding franchises to some of the proposed CL cities.