Why baseball is more international than ever
With baseball youth participation at an all-time low, the game is thriving around the world. Baseball is slowly turning into the world’s game
The Slump
Youth baseball participation is at an all-time low. A study by the National Sporting Goods Association shows that from 2001-2010, roughly 8.8 million youth participated in youth baseball, whether that is Little League or Super League. That number drops to 5.3 million in 2015-present. There is an abundance of reasons why it is on the decline. One may be because of expensive travel-ball teams taking over the competition. The average black household usually makes $50,000 per year, and white households make $70,000 per year. From my personal competitive baseball experience, it usually costs somewhere from $700-$1500 to play on a legitimate travel team.
Another reason may be because the game can be rather boring sometimes. The game of baseball is a slow-paced game. Basketball and soccer are sports where you are constantly moving back and forth on the field of play. There is no wonder roughly 15 million kids play basketball yearly. Now, thankfully baseball is making a comeback. The 2019 estimation is nearly 9 million youth played baseball. But believe it or not, the game of baseball is even more popular around the globe.
Foreign Freaks
Some of the biggest names in baseball were not born in the USA. As a matter of fact, studies show that a whopping 29.8% of Major Legauers were born outside of the USA. That’s roughly 1 in 3 Major Leaguers. As a matter of fact, this is so big that the MLB noticed that, and they are now considering adding a second team in Canada, or a first team in Mexico.
Around the globe, there are some big baseball countries. Japan is one of the biggest hotbeds for superstar talent. Some names include Shohei Ohtani, who is probably the most interesting talent going into the 2020 season, who is both a productive hitter, a great pitcher, and is very fast too. Some others include Ichiro Suzuki, probably Japan’s greatest player ever, as well as Hideo Nomo, Yusei Kikuchi, and on the rise currently, Yoshitomo Tsutsugo, who was recently signed by the Tampa Bay Rays. Another hotbed that comes to mind is Cuba, who has produced players like Yasiel Puig, Yasmani Grandal, who just signed a record contract with the White Sox, and Yandy Diaz, who hit 2 home runs at the leadoff spot in the 2019 AL Wildcard game against the Oakland Athletics. Other countries include South Korea, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Curacao, Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. In 2017 Gift Ngoepe became the first African Born player to record a base hit in the Major Leagues, a truly incredible feat.
WBC
Every year, the MLB hosts an event called the WBC, standing for the World Baseball Classic. All of these countries create a superteam with the best players born in that country. Some of the top teams that play in the tournament include the USA, Cuba, Japan, the Domican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
It really intrigues me to watch the american’s play teams from the other side of the world. I’m so usedd to watching the best players in the world play in America, when there are players nearly as good, not playing in the Major Leagues. There are also world tournaments meant for younger generations. Some of the best players played in these leagues, such as Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Jameson Taillon, Kris Bryant, and of course the biggest name of them all, Mike Trout.
A 2nd chance
Not only are some players coming here, America has some players going away to other leagues. Players who didn’t quite make the cut in the MLB, are now given an opportunity to play in other leagues that aren’t as competitive, such as the Mexican League, or the Nippon Professional League in Japan. Essentially it is a second chance for MLB players who have potential, but aren’t quite at the MLB level. They get paid a solid amount, and if they shine, they might get invited to come back to america.
Baseball is an incredible game, it truly is. And the world is now realizing that. And with the MLB’s popularity rising around the world, the game of baseball is ready to make a change for the better.
