03 March 2009

The Internationalization of Baseball

Podcast examines how baseball has grown into an international sport

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When major league baseball introduced the “World Series” as its season-ending championship matchup in 1903, the claim that the series would determine the “professional baseball championship of the world” was hollow. The sport was strictly American in nature and the majority of players and managers were American as well.

But now, American Major League Baseball is played by the world’s best players coming to the United States to demonstrate their skills. The “World” aspect has become a reality -- at least in terms of team makeup -- even if the “Series” itself continues to involve only teams based in North America. The 2007 Boston Red Sox, for example, included players from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Japan, Canada and Puerto Rico.

At the start of the 2007 season, Major League Baseball reported that 246 of the 849 players on team rosters were born outside the United States, making up 29 percent of all players.

Baseball players come from all over the world to play in the United States. The Dominican Republic produces most of those players. Other Latin American countries where baseball is popular include Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Panama and Cuba -- all of which have players in Major League Baseball. The Far East, including Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, also has many players in America.

Baseball is more and more and more popular in China. Almost 50 years after Mao Zedong banned the sport, the New York Yankees have a contract with the Chinese Baseball Association to help develop players, and the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres played a pair of exhibition games in Beijing in March.

And in March 2006, the idea of a true international championship finally became reality as 16 national baseball teams held the first World Baseball Classic. Many U.S. major league players returned home to play for their national teams. In the end, Japan beat Cuba in the finale. The United States, which finished eighth, will get another chance in a repeat event scheduled for 2009.

This podcast is produced by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs. Links to other Internet sites or opinions expressed should not be considered an endorsement of other content and views.

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