I don't know where to look on this question
Is it a Maths or Sports question?

It's something we all refer to (men) to see how our favorite teams are doing .

What? League Tables The earliest I have seen dates to 1888 to record the progress of the Early English Soccer clubs

www.the-english-football-archive.com/league_tables/1888-1889-tables.htm

no reference as to who devised them or for any for another purpose

Feel like this is one for the scholars to Solve not Google
On the face of it League tables ..Many thousands to choose from in this time.
But go back in Time Have come up against an apparent abrupt dead end in 1888 !

It appears that what you are calling "League Tables" we call standings.

The National League of American baseball (Now one of two leagues that form Major League Baseball.) had standings as early as 1876, and the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players may have had them as early as 1871. The National Association of Base Ball Players, founded in 1859, may have had standings earlier than 1871.