Shohei Ohtani pitching to Mike Trout in the ninth inning to decide the championship was one of the greatest baseball moments of all time. Unreal awesomeness of epic proportions!
For me, it's the passion shown by the players outside of the US and Canada. The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Japan all play as hard as they can for their country. I never missed a game this entire tournament. It was awesome!!!
This tournament is amazing. I’m from Guatemala which is not a baseball country and my friends who don’t watch MLB have been excited about this. They even follow players that they loved. It’s an amazing tournament and very good to grow the sport.
In Guatemala, what sports are popular right now? CONCACAF Champions League is happening right now. My team Los Angeles FC/MLS just played in Costa Rica against LD Alajuelense... Montagua/Honduras is in the Quarter-Finals... What sport are people in Guatemala watching?
@@davidday2373 the most popular is always football/soccer. Specially La Liga since a lot of people are Barcelona or Real Madrid fans. Not even our own league es watched by the most Guatemalans
@@199311walter you could say that but not really. Guatemala won a william sport international tournament around 2010 if I’m not wrong, and not a single soul cared besides who already liked baseball. I’ll say I’ve seen more people invested in this tournament than ever before. And I guess is because how a world tournament featuring the world’s best is so attractive. Last night my friends kept asking me about Japan and their players and Trout. This tournament is baseball best asset right now and they have to sell it as best as they can.
I'm from the Dominican Republic, and I never ever saw something like that in my 30 years of living in New York. I went to a Dominican Bar in Washington Heights to watch the game against Venezuela and It was crazy. There were people that had to wait more than two hours making line to enter the Bar. It was full of people with the Dominican flag, T-shirts, and caps yelling for our team. Sadly, we lost to the Venezuelan team, but the atmosphere and the place were electrifying. You could feel the emotion of the people watching their team play for their country. I have never seen anything like this for a baseball world cup, especially in New York (Washington Heights). Everyone is talking about that world in barbershops, restaurants, Latin television, and even taxi drivers.
Estos Americanos no saben ni como se vende este juego, y fueron los que lo inventaron; de verdad que estan en una cueva mental, espero que salgan pronto, los dueños dejen de llorar tanto y dejen a los jugadores jugar!!
I am living in the Netherlands and I'm surprised my local friends were talking about WBC here. They never watched a game of baseball and they don't know what's going on but they are just happy to see their country playing in a world stage
I'm Venezuelan, I know that for our players it means the world. Also, having Venezuela play in Miami, you guarantee sold out stadiums for the most part. Soccer players also get injured during the WC, it's just part of sports. And MLB teams will be fine, all those contracts are insured
@@brodiebrazil this is why the world cup is held every 4 years, teams can't afford to have their players get injured every year, plus it adds to how special the world cup is
This should follow the FIFA soccer world cup or the FIBA basketball format. Have it every four years or 3 and have those 20 countries or 24 countries to make it good. Maybe have Japan host. then rotate to Mexico, USA or Panama. The national pride is awesome. I am not even a baseball fan but this got me more interested then a world series game. I think all players should participate and represent their country. I still think this is awesome. That Puerto Rico Dominican game was dope.
FIFA does a good job making the World Cup the biggest sporting tournament in the world. Not even the Olympics has such big numbers in viewership. There's a lot baseball can learn from them to make this sport more worldwide. Even in the US, you can see a big increase in soccer fans the last few years. Look at how European clubs take advantage of that increased interest and do promotional tours and exhibition matches in America to popularise the sport there.
Puerto Rican fan here, it’s about national pride and identity for us! The love of the sport and something to unify and cheer for! We love our team and thank them for great moments every time they’re assembled! They also inspire a lot to our youth, I’m sure it’s the same in other international countries!
Not trying to be rude, but isn't Puerto Rico a territory of the U.S.? Your governor answers to the POTUS, you benefit from our social programs, immediate U.S. relief from natural disasters, etc. Wouldn't it be territorial pride? If we voted to make you all a state before the next WBC, you would be in the 51st U.S State of Puerto Rico. Your nation is the U.S.A.
We love our beautiful Island 🇵🇷 we are very different culturally speaking. I’m proud to be an American citizen and I’m great full for that but my love for my people in the Island is very special. I don’t know how to explain it….
@@MightyMattTM Puerto Ricans national pride make no sense but they are really proud of their island for some reason. They carry their flag everywhere. I'm like "How does that work?"
@@MightyMattTM Most of us would like aswell but sadly we aren't accepted by the senate, who have the final say. As to why we can compete as our own separate team, tell that to SCOTUS and their decisions on the insular cases. which basically made us into second class citizens if we live in the island. The only upside is that we can have our own sport teams and play in the olympics, miss universe, etc. Trust me, most of us in PR would love to be the 51st with all the same benefits, responsibilities and privileges.
To be fair, I don't think the game is growing past the areas it already has a base in (East Asia, the Caribbean, Australia) which this tournament will no doubt help. Having teams represent Italy and Great Britian with American players kind of devalues the tournament
@@kiroolioneaver8532check out the World Cup (soccer) teams. So many African teams had English and French players. No one said that devalued those teams tho
While I appreciate the video on the interest in the WBC, you said so many things wrong. First, the WBC took off in 2017, and there were a lot of big stars and major interest, especially in the US which the US had not had in the past. Second, the Olympics stopped baseball after 2008 until it restarted it in 2020, it just does not get the same interest because it is played in the middle of the MLB season and the stars are not allowed to play. Third, baseball is very similar to basketball in global popularity and much more than football. Baseball is the most popular sport in Japan and many Latin American countries and second most popular in many others. Lastly, the tournament only had 3 host countries, I do not know where you got 7 but even including the qualifiers, it only had 5. I love that you are giving more attention to the WBC but you cannot make a video on it being currently relevant without looking at the facts and just deciding it is relevant now to you.
As a Filipino baseball fan, I'd love to see the Philippines come back and be interested in baseball again, hopefully enough to participate in the WBC. We have a big baseball stadium here in Manila and used to be a baseball powerhouse in the 50s-70s alongside Japan and Korea. Nowadays, the only baseball tournament we have is in collegiate level, and I don't think anyone is watching the games live, let alone even considered to be televised. Weirdly enough, Tim Tebow is part of our national baseball team that participated in this WBC qualifiers.
Filipinos have had a professional basketball league for nearly 50 years. Yet, they still could not advance in a FIBA tournament. Meanwhile, Japan has been in the WBC Finals thrice in WBC's short (
I’ve tried to get my manager into baseball for the past 2 years, he never budged. Now he won’t stop talking about the Mexico team and their games. I’ve never talked about baseball at work (grocery store) and the customers adding on to how enjoyable the games are
@@nelsongalan1417 it’s the fact that 162 games have no stakes till the end of the season when we actually know how valuable each match up is. I think instead of the pitch clock they should’ve shrunk the season to 140-150 games
@@MattGS22 There's no way on earth the owners would ever go for that. "Hey, you know how you have home games to make money? Yeah, we're going to take away about 10 of those because we want to sacrifice them to have your players whom you pay millions for, to play in an exhibition tournament". Baseball is supposed to be an every day event played at a leisurely pace, but there are things you can do to speed the game up. First, call strikes as outlined in the rule book. Second, start enforcing rules 5.01 and 8.04 where the batters can't leave the batter's box, and the pitcher has to deliver the ball in a timely manner. The pitch clock hopefully solves the latter.
@@RobotShlomo the season used to be shorter. Also a shorter season could mean healthier players and more promotions throughout the season. A shorter season has its benefits and its drawbacks
Being Australian and into baseball, I noticed that as our team did well and started getting on the news, other people were suddenly now watching the rest of the games and many those people had never watched a baseball game in their life and didn't actually know Australia had a baseball team AT ALL before then. So who knows, this might have a knock on effect some of those will go on to watch MLB, buy merch, and indirectly build and grow the sport to people who never even thought about the game before the WBC.
Baseball is a long established but always small sport in Australia. The way to get a wider audience is via a national team competition like the WBC (with real national teams not the No MLB player Olympics) Not many Australians really follow soccer, but everyone seems to follow Australia at the World Cup (Qualification rules for national teams are a joke however -see Israel and Italy)
Look it up budy. Once there was a friendly exhibition game between the USA & your country in 1956 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Over 100,000 people showed up.
As a baseball fan in Taiwan, I'm always curious about the popularity of baseball in Australia. There used to be some very famous players, like David Nilsson and Jeff Williams, who played quite well in MLB and Japan. And as I know, some players from Japan, Korea and Taiwan also choose to play in Australian league for improving their skills. But judging from the size of stadium, it seems baseball doesn't have a huge fanbase there.
@@eegh In Australia baseball is a small but well-established sport -if that makes sense The oldest Baseball clubs probably date from the 1870s. The WBC received zero coverage in most media . The Australian fans at the grounds would have been family members or club friends of players Most players come from baseball families (like in most minor sports )
Yesss, I'm not a baseball fan but when I see this tournament I'm 100 % into it that makes me think about spending time going to see professional baseball in my area. So it's positive
I’m from the country of Shohei Ohtani. Our Japanese fans have been crazy from 2006. The players of team Japan this year had watched 2006’s WBC and grew up to be a baseball player to represent the country. WBC is meaningful to get the skills of our baseball players higher.
@@edgarponce746 It was a great game. To me, Mexico vs Japan was the best game in this WBC. Yes, your team almost eliminated my team despite our confidence in our pitchers. What a fighting spirit Team Mexico has. Great spirit! What a great baseball!🇲🇽🤝🇯🇵
I love it. I never heard of **Randy Arozarena** before this... come to realize that he's an MVP, a World Series all-time record-setter. Dude is fun to watch.
Yes I 100% agree that the WBC is finally establishing itself as one of the greatest events in world’s sports. Also the growth of some leagues around the world is contributing to the growing of the game. In Colombia and Panama the popularity of the game is increasing, and it’s a huge passion in Japan and South Korea. I think after the success of this WBC, MLB and the World Baseball and Softball Confederation should invest more money, try to get more sponsors so the metallic prizes are higher and the incentives for players to go are gonna be higher as well.
@@waltermegson3778Pues si pero creo que se refiere que a más gente le está gustando no por qué sea el deporte más popular de esos países significa que todos los juegen puede ser que a otros le guste el fútbol, basketball etc más gente que no ve béisbol están empezando a seguir el béisbol
The US winning in 2017 was such a huge boon, getting more and more American stars like Trout and Betts getting involved. The two US-DR games and the semis between the Netherlands and Puerto and the US and Japan were as good as any classic World Series game. The atmosphere in Tokyo and Miami have been so good.
Yep, Adam Jones catch in 2017 was the most important thing to happen for the WBC classic. That play basically ensured that the US would finally give the tournament the respect it deserved and that the other countries had already been giving it. It may sound selfish but the WBC would never truly take off until the US took it seriously.
Yes! I think this is it. Consider this: Mike Trout himself declined an invite to the 2017 WBC and echoed the general US fan's consensus about it being an exhibition game. BUT immediately after it ended, he did a 180 and said he loved what he saw and wanted to be in the next WBC. And look at him now! True to his word, unlike LeBron who said something similar about the Slam Dunk Contest and feeling inspired to participate in the next one, but never did.
I think the host is dramatically underestimating how important this tournament is for the Latin American Countries and the teams in Asia. If you go back and look at the crowds and the viewership outside the US the numbers and popularity have always been huge. In Cuba, the DR Japan South Korea, this their Superbowl. The WBC was hosted in Canada in 2009 and I was fortunate enough to goto a few games and it was unreal.
Regarding the attendance figures, more fans attended the games during the Pools phase of the WBC (1.010 M) than during the Athletics and Marlins entire season last year (788k and 907k respectively). Also, did some math for the fun of it. If I'm correct, given the crowd numbers of the knockout stage games so far, and estimates of the next two games given they're also sold out (total of 1.267M attendees), its likely this 2 week tournament will also surpass the Rays and Pirates cumulative seasonal attendance last year (1.128 M and 1.257 M respectively). It's phenomenal how much this tournament has grown in popularity and given how good this year was, I can't wait for 2026.
this only because in miami the countries that played their were well represented locally. they had mexico play in the pool that played in arizona and they let taiwan play in taiwan and had japan play korea and china in the middle of tokoyo. So all of those games were going to sell out
Those attendance numbers are misleading. The A's are essentially a lame duck team. They're going to be moving to Las Vegas in the very near future. The Marlins ownership has been struggling to put a winner on the field.
It's important to really feel the size of baseball. Without the games in Taiwan and japan you wouldn't see the energy they bring and what should happen with revitalizing baseball in the US. The MLB regular season should not be the be all and end all of baseball.
Great video Brodie, but I say the WBC has indeed been popular all over the baseball world prior to this tourney. It's that the public in the US has FINALLY caught on, a little late, but they FINALLY get it! WBC > Spring Training
oh my ten times over yes. Honestly I partly didnt care before because yes I was afraid key players on my Chicago Cubs squad might get hurt (like Seiya Suzuki *sigh*) but also I knew we werent bringing our best team in the past so I didnt bring my attention span if that makes sense. And even we know most of our best players come from Latin countries that will probably kick our ass anyway honestly. Its a little painful to watch everyone be so gleeful to beat America when its like......what the hell man we're the ones making you all millionaires, a lot of them were born and trained here but they sure do love to "stick it to America"........but beyond that when I dig even deeper my favorite players are scattered all over the world its really hard to pick who to root for I just want to see people do well. Was pulling hard for Matt Mervis to show out for Israel. It was very odd to me to cheer for Paul Goldschmidt hitting a home run off of Elias Diaz. Because Goldy is a damn Cardinal and Diaz is battling to try and make the Cubs roster........its just all sorts of weird conflicting interests anywhere theres a Chicago Cub I want to cheer for them. And then really watching that game against Venezuela I realized I actually did care. Me and my roommates were getting genuinely upset watchig Daniel Bard melt down and our manager act with all the urgency of a company softball game........like no man, this shit is about to make us look bad! How could you eff this up! Why the hell is our bullpen chock full of dudes with control problems! And then Trea Turner dropped his nutsack all over everyone and we celebrated as hard as if it was a playoff game in any sport. So yes, Id say some of us actually care now.
man doesn't know that japan has the 2nd best baseball league in the world and is already a pipeline for talent to the mlb and has been playing baseball since the 1800s
Something you missed mentioning is the winter leagues in the Caribbean. The timing IS perfect. Caribbean leagues just finished days before the WBC began. Some of the mlb players were there and already in shape before spring training.
As an Australian baseball lover, I've been waiting a very long time to see the green and gold back in international competition. And I love it! We're a proud sporting nation with World Champions in many sports, and seeing us against the best teams in the world is a beautiful thing. Representing your country should be the pinnacle of any sport and it's about time MLB realised that.
Every argument I've seen against it has been because of those injuries. But anyone that says that honestly lacks vision. Ask cristiano ronaldo if he'd trade all his champions league trophies for one world cup with Portugal. This will become baseballs world cup and I'm glad I'm here to see the beginning of it
I've never watched the WBC before this year. Its SO good. I mean everything except that GBR - CAN game. That game almost killed my love for baseball but everything else has been magnificent.
WBC also need to changed the player eligibility rule, it's ridiculous to see Team Israel only have 2 players who actually born in Israel and all the rest are American Jewish ethic, and letting a country like Israel where there is absolutely NO baseball tradition, Israel aren't even trying to develop their own baseball players, also Israel had never participate in any WBSC tournaments (U12,U15, U18, U23). Having country like Israel in the WBC does NOT make sense and it's absurd, No one is watching or streaming the game there.
Fair enough point....but it does create interest in the Jewish community in the US...which is good for mlb. Plus as still a minority sport worldwide they need more quality teams to make it a genuine world cup! But I see your criticism has some basis. Hopefully, some investments are being made in Israel at a ground roots level. I read somewhere that there is some playing interest in Israel.. hope that is the case. At least thay didn't progress...
Right ..more than Israel ...New Zealand..South Africa & Brazil should be in the WBC ..They Will have more Home Grown Players & Have some Baseball Foundation that can grow in those Countries than Israel....
Mexico's President is a true Baseball fan, and he's been talking about this Tournament in his press conferences. TBH, President Lopez-Obrador brought me here
Seeing all these big names representing their country and realizing that every pitch, every play in offense, in defense is top notch worth your whole attention. I am loving it and the fact that's every 4 years is making it more exciting. I am Mexican and the wifey is Japanese so we got our jerseys and we are preparing our snacks :)
Wow, I bet y'all had a fun time last night! My friend is from Mexico but we have been to Japan together twice on vacation with a group of bros so we love Japan. So we got a group of guys together and watched last night. It was a blast. My buddy was cheering for both teams basically.
So much fun! Wish there was more rounds, more countries....do it every 2 years lets gooooo! Also it would be sweet if the Finals was a 3 or 5 game series! Maybe quarters onwards are all best of 3 with the finals being best of 5? I love the intensity of single elimination but......a big part of baseball is team depth and proving you werent just hot or cold for a day or a victim or benefactor of fluke pitching good or bad. I dunno, above my paygrade to figure out but its pretty great!
@@danr154 I actually agree with a best of 5 series format for the finals. Doesnt seem feasible now considering all the buzz around injuries but maybe one day, this event doesn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon.
@@danr154I respectfully disagree with this take. World championships in regards to teams should be kept in a 4 year rotation. Thats what makes the FIFA World Cup exciting. And even more the knockout rounds should be one game only. The WBC made a great choice adding quarter finals this year, it made for more exciting action. I would only maybe add a 24 team expansion, with 8 teams qualifying for the tournament based on zone allocation (i.e. Europe and Asia / South America and the Caribbean)
@@omarzepedaaguilar fr! Mexico vs Puerto Rico was my first baseball match ever! And it's acually very intertaining, it even got me nervous in the last rounds!😅
I've never seen a WBC game until I heard that Mexico beat the US and saw Mexico's lineup. I only watched out of curiosity and now I'm getting ready to watch Mexico vs Japan.
As a Filipino-American, I salute all the countries that participated in the WBC. The teams (countries) were great. The championship game of Japan vs USA was fantastic. Ohtani vs Trout was better than any storybook ending. Baseball wins.
British baseball fan here - I watch some MLB games through the year, but the general feeling is that the individual games mean very little. When there's 160 in a season, the vast majority just contribute to some player stats and an average score at the end of the season. You get more dramatic ones late in the season, but the individual games for the most part are devoid of that meaning. It often seems more people care about average numbers and player salaries than memorable moments that define points in a season - So-And-So got his Xth strikeout, Such-N-Such got his third straight season with 30 HRs, Someone Else got a huge contract offer to move... As a European, there's a complete lack of jeopardy and movement in the sport - it's the same 30 clubs every year and if you're out of it by June then frankly the rest of the season is a waste of time. No relegation, no new teams, no new locations, few hometown players, a divisional structure that has no meaning in 2023. I love the sport, but MLB itself is sorely lacking and dated in organisation. You've got cities with multiple teams who hardly play each other. You play 'rivals' some 20 times a season so who cares about a single win/loss? Here in WBC... it's different - it's benefitting from far fewer games with far greater impact and meaning to each. The passion is because the moments themselves are memorable. Some of the games, like the Mexico v Japan one and USA v Venezuela, will stick with me more than 99% of MLB games will. You lose one game now, you're done. You win, you're heroes.
The whole idea behind the baseball season being a grind is just that, it's a grind to determine which teams are the best and not just a flash in the pan. The season also is long to give the teams that are hampered by injuries a chance to recover, and make a run down the stretch. The long seasons have actually at times created more drama. In 1978 the NY Yankees were counted out it in July, and they surged back to end the season in a tie with Boston Red Sox, forcing the historic one game playoff at Fenway Park where Bucky Dent hit a home run to bring the Yankees back to win it. In 1951 the NY Giants were trailing the Brooklyn Dodgers by 15 games at the mid point of the season, and came back to force a playoff game against Brooklyn which culminated with Bobby Thompson's "Shot Heard Round The World". As far as the divisional structure, the divisions are built on geographic rivalries. NY vs. Boston. NY vs Philadelphia. LA vs. SF. etc. The schedule is "unbalanced" so that you play your divisional rival the most times, and it gives teams the opportunity to catch up to them during the season in head to head match ups. Interleague play was supposed to solve the problem of teams in the same city not playing each other, however it's diminished the need for you to watch a team that's not in your city. I know as a European you're used to seeing a relegation system where teams are promoted and demoted, however in baseball that simply will not work, and all those reasons stem from one thing; money. The fans won't go for it because if you sell them tickets for an A schedule and they get a B schedule, they're going to want refunds. The advertisers and the TV networks won't go for it for the same reason. The players won't go for it because they will refuse to be traded to a team that's been relegated or in danger of being relegated, and no free agent will sign with a relegated team. And the owners won't go for it because of all of the above. I know that as a Brit the structure of baseball might look archaic, but there's a reason why it works. It's supposed to be an every day thing that's part of the fabric of summer, and not just this thing you pay attention to every four years for a handful games.
I just went to a WBC game in Phoenix and I haven't seen or been a part of that type of atmosphere EVER at a regular season game. It's something that's unreal. Eventually it might even be more poplar than the world series in a couple of decades if the trend continues. It's sort of like the World Cup soccer, which is the biggest tournament of them all. Then the players go back to the Premier, La Liga, Primera, league. If the USA had Judge, Harper and some of our best pitchers it wouldn't be close. The issue is the pseudo playoff for pitchers regiment during spring training time. But this thing was big.
It’s already more popular than the World Series. World Series 2022 - Average of 12 Million viewers World Baseball Classic 2023 - Japan games alone averaging about 60 Million viewers lol
Also, the other 39% of televisions in PR were only off because those people were watching at their friends and families houses. 100% of the PR eyes were on that game.
Super excited for the future of the WBC. The atmosphere for these games is just different it feels like do or die baseball. Especially the PR vs DR game was electric ⚡️
If players like in the Dominican team, USA, Venezuela, PR keep participating, this event is going to be bigger than the world series, maybe some people are afraid of this happening that's why they called the WBC meaningless. In my house there are three women who never watch baseball but they watched Venezuela against DR, that is the opposite of meaningless.
Personally speaking its been always popular for those who follow Baseball. This year made it even more special and accessible for me because they played in Miami. I was born in Nicaragua and although I have lived here for the entirety of my life. I went to show support to the Nicaraguan team who made its debut. and even though we've had good players in the MLB Nicaragua has never made it. It is just special to see your home country's team on an international stage and have a positive impact on the youth of your country and every other country represented and not represented.
One reason I think WBC is gaining popularity is because of another sport completely... and thats the FIFA World Cup. We just had it and its infectious to the point that every major sport now wants to imitate it/something passionately similar.
That is true, but other sports need to try a bit harder IMO. I know this tournament is a deal between the World baseball and softball confederation and the MLB. But one thing to advance it could be a damage to the MLB: making the national team calls mandatory. You don't know how cool it is to see the lists and say "this player should be in" or "that player should be not". There were some advantages in the forging of association football that worked to the advantage of the World Cup. International games became systematized before the national leagues. In England, the first division (either under the EFL or as the Premier League) is 136 years old, but the first ever international friendly is 151 years old. On baseball, the process is the opposite. The idea of association also is a lot rubbed in, that is why there is an A in FIFA. You grow your association, it become stronger. Ownership is relatively new in association football, but has been in baseball since the beginning. The rule and ideal thing for us used to it would be the model of the Green Bay Packers in the NFL. That's why no club ever went against the World Cup. Also, FIFA made itself ready: made the national calls mandatory and imposed such harsh punishments for anyone that goes against this that it's really not worth it. And the players would not be on the club's side either. And there is one thing needed: time. Time is an ultimate fixer. The british nations never bought the idea of the World Cup from the get go. Did not accept the invitation for the first edition in 1930 and by their own choice never played in the qualifiers for 1934-38. They thought, especially England, that no one was better than they were since they created the thing. When England qualified for the 1950 World Cup, they got beaten by a United States squad composed of basically italian immigrants. There seems to be that the MLB can surrender to the pressure of the owners and talking heads someday. I hope they don't. Because when it was created in 2006 the owners voted for it, in majority (some ownership groups, like the Yankees, made an apology for their fans stating their position against it in case of players being called, injured or whatever).
The Tokyo Olympics did have baseball, but it was intended more as a one off since Japan is big on baseball. Even if the Olympics had baseball permanently, the fact the best players in the world do not participate due to it being in the middle of the MLB season will always prevent the Olympics from being the premier international baseball tournament.
Taiwanese fan here. Too bad we didnt make it pass the first round. But those 4 games....my oh my...so exciting! Enjoyed the rest of the tournament. Baseball couldnt get better than that!
Probably because patriotism is growing due to the political climate… Also the World Cup had just passed so maybe international sporting events are being craved. MLB let’s professionals mlb players compete in this event where nba international events are ass, nhl don’t allow players to compete so you never see the highest level of international play in professional sports other than soccer and mlb.
I'm french, here baseball is not popular at all, and i only started getting interest in it last year. I don't know all the rules, or the teams in mlb, or the players. But iknow Trout and Otani. So yeah they were a major asset to this tournament. Plus, it is like the world cup right ? National teams their best. For exemple, i don't like that the mlb final is called world series, when only american teams play it. So for all us non us baseball fans, this is the real thing i guess. Plus, what a final phase....
Not completely like the World Cup, but has the heart of it. There are things that the WBC feels that the World Cup will not, like the cuban issue. The best MLB players for Cuba will not play in the WBC because the government will not allow them to be called. They majority defected from the country and are in many times against the government. Some players that are neutral regarding the politicians say that they will not play if the final list is marred by political influence. An exmaple of this is Randy Arozarena. He is cuban by birth, but defected after being paid 40 dollars a month in the cuban national series (their league). He defected to Mexico, tested for teams with borrowed equipment because he was flat broke, got signed, played well and went to the MLB. He is married to a mexican woman (and she is smoking hot) and had a daughter born there IIRC. He made a social media campaign for the mexican president to speed his citizenship process for him to play in the WBC for Mexico. Lopez Obrador (the president) made things happen. But otherwise, it's 95% there IMO. This and the U.S. pitchers being the biggest issues. But advancements are happening in the cuban front. This edition was the first time that Cuba called MLB players on their roster. But they need to be at least neutral regarding the government.
Never heard of this tournament, but you're absolutely right. This thing should blow up in popularity after this year. Here in the states, this IS the perfect time for this tournament. The players are having fun, but not like All Star weekend. These guys are playing hard. Love it
Yep, plus...all the guys on the team now are star players with their role nailed down in the MLB teams. They don't need a full spring training anyway, they aren't young up and coming guys who have to stake their claim. I'd much rather have a Betts and Trout play in this than pointless spring training games.
This video should have included a disclaimer at the beginning: "this only applies to US audiences". The WBC has been huge, a massive success since its very beginning in 2006, in every single baseball market, but the US.
It has to be because of the Latinos. Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. Mexico vs Puerto Rico was one of the most intense and exciting matches ever in baseball. Also the brotherly rivalry between us made it that much better.
It feels like the popularity is sudden but it's really not in regards to the rest of the world. Other countries have always taken it very seriously. In regards to America, 2017 was more popular than previous iterations, so 2023 is just building on top of it. When it comes to teams, 20 is more than the 16 from 2017 WBC. So ya know, growth. But also, it's not like there were only 20 countries that showed up. There were qualifiers months ago so some countries tried but failed to get into the main tournament. Is the WBC inconvenient to MLB? Perhaps you should ask the question with the knowledge that MLB runs the WBC and it'll just answer itself. The answer is no. If it was inconvenient, MLB wouldn't be running it. The WBC is not inconvenient. Injuries themselves are inconvenient. But that's no matter where or when they happen. Hell, some players get injured when they're not even on a baseball diamond. Are people saying we should just cancel real life when a player gets injured in the offseason? Of course they're not. The WBC is only viewed as inconvenient by those with tunnel vision. They only care about the MLB team they follow and that's all that matters. They don't think big picture. MLB does. That's why they're running the WBC.
I haven't really followed baseball since the early 2000's. I don't really know today's players beyond a few of the biggest stars (like Trout and Ohtani). However, I have enjoyed watching some WBC games and highlights. Playoff atmosphere and buzz for sure. You can really tell the players have their hearts in it too. Some thrilling games, come from behind victories, surprising upset and high caliber play across the board. The injuries are unfortunate and I certainly understand teams not wanting their best players pitching (or even playing), but it is competitive baseball at the highest level. It has been a thrill to watch and I really hope it becomes a true "world cup" for baseball.
Also since Detroit just signed a young pitcher after seeing him played in the WBC, it’s also good ground for recruitment. Big stage, huge pressure, everything on the line, it’s a good test for players.
There are more than 40 countries represented. Ever heard of qualifiers? There's no way this tournament can have 40 teams in the pool phase. Then it would be very imbalanced and take way too long.
coming from a part of the world were baseball really isn't a thing (europe) an international tournament like this is far more interesting then a season of MLB. I think this is a tournament that can spread the sport farther out in the world because national leagues struggles to do that.
Thats gonna require Aussie tv networks actually wanting to spend money for the rights. BB doesnt have the audience in Aus, but it would be awesome to see it on our TVs.
I guess I am fitting the American profile, I used to be a lot more into baseball but not as much recently. Somehow caught the buzz on the WBC and the matches and energy has been unreal. It's amazing to see the heart the players put into it also, and such a different format from the long grind of an MLB season. I hope they keep building this because the potential is enormous.
Speaking only for my myself and the social Baseball group I spend time with. None on us have Heard of the World Baseball classic before this years tournament. And we've been fans since we were children. It comes down to marketing and social presence. I first caught wind of it because games stated appearing on my tik tok feed. From there, the MLB channel stared recommending the game highlights. I don't think my little social is alone in this. WBC just has a better online presence this year and that's how a lot more people in the USA found out about it.
The inherent problem is that "online presence" usually leads nowhere. It's easy to post to comments like "I don't follow baseball, but..."., and then nothing happening because that online audience doesn't show up, and they certainly don't spend money on anything, and most times those who claim to love something on Twitter or TikTok are just marketing accounts. The other downside of that is that most of the people saying these things online, most likely won't watch another game and for them baseball will drop off their radar. To them it will be like the Olympics "yeah, we love swimming...See you in four years!".
I never heard about it before . I asked my dad last night while he was watching WBC "Do you ever remember watching the WBC?"......he said "No"..........And hes 70 years old and hes been watching baseball forever . For me it came out of nowhere . A British guy I know always laughed about the name "World Series" because its only played in North America . Now this should be called the true world series .
it started back in 06 this is just the 5 wbc ever,it's basically our version of the world cup in soccer,plus the fact that we have ti wait 3-6 years for it makes it even more memorable.
i mean tehcnically the best plyaers in the world are playing the us except for some in the npb and they eventually make their way over like shohei etc. it is a dumb name but its been around since the 1800s. mlb is an old institution.
I think the positive aspect of it is that it also bonds players from different clubs in a healthy way. It matters if they win and the morale boost they get from it as well. I’m so jealous of baseball in Asia, they make the games really loud and fun. They have cheerleaders!!
I'm a Stro's fan from Montana lol Losing Tuve is gonna suck but hopefully he's good by the ASG, but I know what he means to Venezuela and TBH I would've been disappointed if he didn't participate. Injuries can happen literally whenever lol look at when Salvy hurt his knee, he was carrying a suitcase upstairs and it blewout while moving back to KC after spring training...
As a guy that doesn’t watch much mlb baseball I’m shocked at how much I am enjoying the world baseball classic this year. The fans are very enthusiastic and the teams are really die hard. It’s really fun to watch. That said, I hope they figure out a system that will have it to where all of the best players play for their country
What a fucking game last night. I thought i was watching a Fifa Worldcup. Tonight is going to be a blast USA vs Japan. This kid Sasaki is throwing bullets, It's fucking amazing to watch. I'm not a big fan of baseball but damn You can't get wrong watching Guys like trout, Ohtani and Sasaki on this Tournament. Holy FUCK!. A Must Watch Game 2023!!!
Footballers play the for the world cup outside of their season. It is an HONOR to be chosen for those teams. What if, WBC becomes like the world cup is to footballers? There is no talk of injury... or risk. And I hope people get there on this.
That won't happen if players aren't able to play because they can't get insured for playing in the thing. FIFA buys insurance for every player in the World Cup. The MLB teams individually buy insurance for their players.
@RobotShlomo Perhaps. To your point, we saw that happen with Kershaw. However, a difference being the world baseball classic is run by MLB, I see more of a chance to converge insurance to cover all baseball activities within MLB. Making it less or an ordeal going forward. I mean I hope. But, yeah, insurance is a big hurdle. I didn't know how FIFA worked that out.
@@blownapart100 one major difference between the sports can be explained regarding that: there is no saying by the clubs regarding the calls for competition of friendlies on FIFA designated dates. If they say s*** or don't allow their players to go, the hammer comes down so heavy on them that it basically breaks them apart. In association football, the international games were systematized before the national leagues. The first game between nations was 151 years ago, the First Division of England (under the EFL or as the Premier League) was created 136 years ago. On baseball, it's the other way around.
As a US fan living in the UK, the Classic has been a way of proving to my British friends that baseball is not just an American sport! Plus it's been great seeing fans from around the world turn out to support their teams. Honestly, no matter who was playing, I had a hard time deciding who to cheer for! I really hope it leads to wider international coverage or other leagues.
This tournament was big before it became bigger here in the US. Patriotism outside of the US is a little different than here. There is a real desire to see your own countrymen do well against other countries. There is national pride at stake that doesn't quite fit American patriotism. We have a tendency to be indifferent to other countries and doing well in sports. So this was a HUGE deal for other countries from the start. There is a real opportunity with this tournament to broaden the baseball fans around the world. This tournament will continue to grow and it will be huge. When you have players who say that they would rather win this than the World Series then other players take it seriously.
It’s gonna grow its name more and more every time. And will become bigger each time. Eventually kids that got into the sport in none baseball Countries will start playing and some might eventually play in it making it a more overall competitive competition.. especially in a sport like baseball where a country id have ranked anywhere from 5-6 as far as top baseball countries like Mexico could almost get to the finals beating a bunch of heavy favorites ..
Because they expanded it, and the games have been notable for their quality and fan involvement. Those games sound like football games more than they sound like baseball games, the crowds are insane. It'd be great if they expanded even further, and would implement a lottery system to determine the group stage rather than having it regional. A few kinks to work out still, but it's on its way. MLB fans generally have a hard time divorcing the international aspect to what our league has to offer. You don't see Europeans sneering at the World Cup because they have UEFA.
Thats true but I cant help it man it felt odd cheering for Paul Goldschmidt going yard off Elias Diaz cause I am a die hard Cubs fan and Diaz is trying to make our roster. But I mean also watching Daniel Bard have a nuclear meltdown and Mark DeRosa act with the urgency of a company softball game had me genuinely pissed on behalf of America. To an Amerocan raised in baseball culture its very local to them usually. My mom used to turn guys down for dates back in the day if they were Cardinals fans. Hell I would have been named after a Cubs player but the game got rained out the day I was born so I got a normal name. Its hard for me to be nationalistic about baseball. Dont get me wrong Im watching and loving these games though. Im trying.
mlb is 100 games too long I dont want to dedicate 5 days a week for over half a year to watch a sport. It feels like a chore at that point. This tournament is like the world cup to me. Players laying all on the line to bring glory to their country. always gives the best moments in sports history
I was never really into baseball even though my grandfather loved the sport, and managed the local team back in mexico, but seeing mexico play, really made me wanna start watching some MLB seeing how hype this sport can be.
I hope it gets to be viewed on more outlets next time I'm a American but once I saw Isreal and Great Britain playing it peaked my interest now I'm hooked
Baseball never caught on in the Olympics because the mlb season is happening during them so the top players obviously don’t go play for the country because of it
Baseball is an interesting and entertaining sport...but the MLB has soooo many games that feel meaningless that, combined with the slower pace, make it very forgettable in a world of ever increasing choices.
Yep, they need to shorten the regular season and expand the playoffs. Even as a big baseball fan...I find many regular seasons games to be a bore....but post season/tournament style baseball is soooo intense. Every single pitch feels like it will change the game. That can't be replicated in any other sport. Having less regular season games and more playoff games means that more teams are fighting for a spot at the end of the season so we have less useless matchups against non-playoff teams for the last month of the season and we get more playoff games that are waaay more intense.
@@Bones12x2 less regular season games will mess with stats and it doesn’t do anything about the slow pace. Rob manfred had wanted to implement this pitch clock since he became elected because he knew it would make the games quicker and more exciting. The pitch clock is already doing wonders this spring training. We’re seeing 10-7 games in 2 hours and 25 minutes. That changes the game in a good way not what your proposed
@@jacksonsmith4935 who cares about stats.... You want more stats or dozens of more games that matter? Also, Im not opposesed to increasing the pace but you ever care about pace in a playoff game or wild card battle in the latter part of the season.... Nope.... Because intensity and context are more exciting than pace.
@@Bones12x2 shortening the season or making it 7 innings does nothing about the slow pace which is the main complaint of why people don’t like baseball. Also it cuts into their profits. More baseball games equals more money. It’s why mlb is the second grossing league in the world. We would have 140 games but 140 games of still slow paced 3 or 4 hour games. It doesn’t address the problem. Rob manfred wouldn’t have done this if it didn’t think it would work. Also it doesn’t matter if you care about stats. Other people do. One of the big storylines from last year was Aaron judge breaking the AL home run record. When it’s the postseason or wbc the pitch clock isn’t as needed because the games are meaningful and ínstense but nobody wants to see a 4 hour regular season game.
I don't really like the comparison with football, worldwide baseball is FAR bigger than football, it's not even close, there is not a single professional football league outside of the US, and there are barely any international players in the NFL.
I think having the round robin games over 4 different sites helped a lot. I mean, say, South Korea - Australia. If that game were in Miami, nobody would go. But they held it in Japan, and it was well watched.
I was born in the US but lived in the Dominican Republic during the '06, '09, and '13 WBCs and have lived in the US during the '17 and '23 WBCs. What I noticed is that other countries, especially poorer countries care more about the WBC than americans do. I remember the 06 WBC wasnt very big in the DR because it was relatively new and unknown but 09 and 13 WBCs were. When the DR lost to the Netherlands twice in 09 it was seen as a national embarrassment. Alot of these countries are not like the USA where they have the resources to play multiple sports and are good at it. ALot of these countries tend to migrate to one sport and are passionate about it. USA is different where americans tend to be a top team in many sports and even dominate these sports. So poorer countries want to beat the USA in whatever they can. It's like big brother little brother in a way. DR is a country that know they have the talent to beat USA so it draws interest from the citizens of DR. Same goes for PR, Japan, etc. That's why even when the US played MExico, there were more mexican fans in the stadium than US fans. DR and PR fans sold out Miami when they played. Americans are starting to show interest in the WBC because USA is actually doing good and it's stars are actually playing. I give alot of credit to the 2017 US team for this. For the WBC to succeed Team USA (and even Team Japan) needs to bring out their best players and have top 4 finishes in most editions (it doesnt have to be all but at least make it out of pool play). I love Team Mexico but I prefer if Japan wins tonight because I know the attention will be much greater if you have the 2 countries that have the best baseball leagues competing with each other. Americans want to feel like they dominate everything and when there is a sport they dont dominate they tend to graviate away from it, which is something I feel has hurt MLB in the US. Americans fans dont just want to win, they want to win by 10 runs every game. Winning by 1 run is not satisfying to US fans.
im puerto rican but live in the us and the us doesn't want to win. They don't care as much as we do. so i was happy usa beat pr to win it all but they didn't have to crush us lol. dr is the best at baseball in the world in my opinion. they jus under performed the last 2 times thank god
@@ericayala7387 I disagree that the US doesnt want to win, I think americans dont care as much if they lose though. Im dominican so I think DR has some of the best talent, but Im hesitant to say they are the best in the world. I think alot of people underestimate Japan because alot of their stars stay in Japan to play but they have more talent than DR in my opinion. I will say DR is top 5 in best countries for baseball. Cuba and Venezuela are also very good but I think due to the political climate it's hard for MLB to make an effort to scout these countries the way they do in DR. I believe DR is the only non-US country that holds a camp for all 30 MLB teams.
@@Anon-yy6wm mlb thinks that Latinos especially the darker ones are more talented and have more athleticism than Asians or whites and are more exciting. Obviously Japan is a first world country they don’t need mlb camps unlike the Dominican Republic which is poor and wouldn’t have the resources to pursue professional baseball without mlbs guidance. Other baseball countries like cuba and Venezuela are communist countries that hate United States politically which is why mlb have very little camps there
Even with USA - Venezuela top class game, guys in reddit still say WBC is a second class/exhibition tournament, not as important as their local team games in regular season, postseason or WS. LoanDepot Park had more attendance in few days that in the entire Marlins season. Americans have this deeply internalized regionalism thing that don't allow them to appreciate baseball outside of their local teams and MLB. This leads to Americans undermining baseball from other latitudes. Another thing: MLB should make things easier to watch the games. Games should be on the most popular streaming platforms.
It’s always been popular in the rest of the world. The US just catching up
WHOLE sentence is the TRUTH!!!
Well said! agree 100%
In a hand full of countries not the whole world
And the us going all in elevates the whole field to a whole nother level
@@Waffle_stomp I think they meant in the rest of the baseball loving world
Shohei Ohtani pitching to Mike Trout in the ninth inning to decide the championship was one of the greatest baseball moments of all time. Unreal awesomeness of epic proportions!
Baseball isnt the same as American Football. American Football is mostly confined to the US. Baseball is not.
For me, it's the passion shown by the players outside of the US and Canada. The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Japan all play as hard as they can for their country. I never missed a game this entire tournament. It was awesome!!!
This tournament is amazing. I’m from Guatemala which is not a baseball country and my friends who don’t watch MLB have been excited about this. They even follow players that they loved. It’s an amazing tournament and very good to grow the sport.
In Guatemala, what sports are popular right now? CONCACAF Champions League is happening right now. My team Los Angeles FC/MLS just played in Costa Rica against LD Alajuelense... Montagua/Honduras is in the Quarter-Finals... What sport are people in Guatemala watching?
@@davidday2373 the most popular is always football/soccer. Specially La Liga since a lot of people are Barcelona or Real Madrid fans. Not even our own league es watched by the most Guatemalans
It's worth noting that baseball is gaining ground in Guatemala due to the huge influence of Mexican sports media
@@199311walter you could say that but not really. Guatemala won a william sport international tournament around 2010 if I’m not wrong, and not a single soul cared besides who already liked baseball. I’ll say I’ve seen more people invested in this tournament than ever before. And I guess is because how a world tournament featuring the world’s best is so attractive. Last night my friends kept asking me about Japan and their players and Trout. This tournament is baseball best asset right now and they have to sell it as best as they can.
Primero Dios un día podamos tener nuestra propia selección jugando en el clásico 🙏🏾🙏🏾
I'm from the Dominican Republic, and I never ever saw something like that in my 30 years of living in New York. I went to a Dominican Bar in Washington Heights to watch the game against Venezuela and It was crazy. There were people that had to wait more than two hours making line to enter the Bar. It was full of people with the Dominican flag, T-shirts, and caps yelling for our team. Sadly, we lost to the Venezuelan team, but the atmosphere and the place were electrifying. You could feel the emotion of the people watching their team play for their country. I have never seen anything like this for a baseball world cup, especially in New York (Washington Heights). Everyone is talking about that world in barbershops, restaurants, Latin television, and even taxi drivers.
Estos Americanos no saben ni como se vende este juego, y fueron los que lo inventaron; de verdad que estan en una cueva mental, espero que salgan pronto, los dueños dejen de llorar tanto y dejen a los jugadores jugar!!
I am living in the Netherlands and I'm surprised my local friends were talking about WBC here. They never watched a game of baseball and they don't know what's going on but they are just happy to see their country playing in a world stage
just watched the Jpn vs Mex game, what an amazing game!
I'm Venezuelan, I know that for our players it means the world. Also, having Venezuela play in Miami, you guarantee sold out stadiums for the most part. Soccer players also get injured during the WC, it's just part of sports. And MLB teams will be fine, all those contracts are insured
Good point about insurance. Still not optimal to lose a player, but… not an entire loss.
@@brodiebrazil I wonder if their rates go up when teams allow their players to participate?
@@brodiebrazil neymar had his back broken in the 2014 world cup.
@@brodiebrazil this is why the world cup is held every 4 years, teams can't afford to have their players get injured every year, plus it adds to how special the world cup is
Amen
This should follow the FIFA soccer world cup or the FIBA basketball format. Have it every four years or 3 and have those 20 countries or 24 countries to make it good. Maybe have Japan host. then rotate to Mexico, USA or Panama. The national pride is awesome. I am not even a baseball fan but this got me more interested then a world series game. I think all players should participate and represent their country. I still think this is awesome. That Puerto Rico Dominican game was dope.
The entire WBC format is based on FIFA World Cup.
FIFA does a good job making the World Cup the biggest sporting tournament in the world. Not even the Olympics has such big numbers in viewership. There's a lot baseball can learn from them to make this sport more worldwide. Even in the US, you can see a big increase in soccer fans the last few years. Look at how European clubs take advantage of that increased interest and do promotional tours and exhibition matches in America to popularise the sport there.
FIFA has considered & many want the FIFA WC every 2 years.
Most of those players who "represent their country" aren't even from those countries, and I doubt they could even find them on a map.
@@RobotShlomo for some countries but can't say that about Japan or Diminican Republic
Puerto Rican fan here, it’s about national pride and identity for us! The love of the sport and something to unify and cheer for! We love our team and thank them for great moments every time they’re assembled! They also inspire a lot to our youth, I’m sure it’s the same in other international countries!
Not trying to be rude, but isn't Puerto Rico a territory of the U.S.? Your governor answers to the POTUS, you benefit from our social programs, immediate U.S. relief from natural disasters, etc. Wouldn't it be territorial pride? If we voted to make you all a state before the next WBC, you would be in the 51st U.S State of Puerto Rico. Your nation is the U.S.A.
We love our beautiful Island 🇵🇷 we are very different culturally speaking. I’m proud to be an American citizen and I’m great full for that but my love for my people in the Island is very special. I don’t know how to explain it….
@@MightyMattTM
Puerto Ricans national pride make no sense but they are really proud of their island for some reason. They carry their flag everywhere.
I'm like "How does that work?"
@@emanueldelacruz1101 similar to texan national pride and southerners who carry the confederate flag.
@@MightyMattTM Most of us would like aswell but sadly we aren't accepted by the senate, who have the final say. As to why we can compete as our own separate team, tell that to SCOTUS and their decisions on the insular cases. which basically made us into second class citizens if we live in the island. The only upside is that we can have our own sport teams and play in the olympics, miss universe, etc. Trust me, most of us in PR would love to be the 51st with all the same benefits, responsibilities and privileges.
I would love for baseball to spread across the world so I'm happy to see this tournament doing well
It already has.
To be fair, I don't think the game is growing past the areas it already has a base in (East Asia, the Caribbean, Australia) which this tournament will no doubt help. Having teams represent Italy and Great Britian with American players kind of devalues the tournament
I'm hoping for it to survive lol.
@@kiroolioneaver8532check out the World Cup (soccer) teams. So many African teams had English and French players. No one said that devalued those teams tho
@@kiroolioneaver8532 baseball is not popular in Australia. Taiwan, Japan, Caribbean and Central America plus Venezuela
While I appreciate the video on the interest in the WBC, you said so many things wrong. First, the WBC took off in 2017, and there were a lot of big stars and major interest, especially in the US which the US had not had in the past. Second, the Olympics stopped baseball after 2008 until it restarted it in 2020, it just does not get the same interest because it is played in the middle of the MLB season and the stars are not allowed to play. Third, baseball is very similar to basketball in global popularity and much more than football. Baseball is the most popular sport in Japan and many Latin American countries and second most popular in many others. Lastly, the tournament only had 3 host countries, I do not know where you got 7 but even including the qualifiers, it only had 5. I love that you are giving more attention to the WBC but you cannot make a video on it being currently relevant without looking at the facts and just deciding it is relevant now to you.
As a Filipino baseball fan, I'd love to see the Philippines come back and be interested in baseball again, hopefully enough to participate in the WBC. We have a big baseball stadium here in Manila and used to be a baseball powerhouse in the 50s-70s alongside Japan and Korea. Nowadays, the only baseball tournament we have is in collegiate level, and I don't think anyone is watching the games live, let alone even considered to be televised.
Weirdly enough, Tim Tebow is part of our national baseball team that participated in this WBC qualifiers.
Filipinos dont like baseball. But it is a sport that you dont have to be that tall to be a good team.
Filipinos have had a professional basketball league for nearly 50 years. Yet, they still could not advance in a FIBA tournament. Meanwhile, Japan has been in the WBC Finals thrice in WBC's short (
Filipinos are too into basketball and they would be much better suited for baseball
Is baseball still trying to find its place in the Philippines just like how it is with Great Britain. They did make it to the LLWS before.
Philippines used to be into baseball. I am not sure why that changed.
I’ve tried to get my manager into baseball for the past 2 years, he never budged. Now he won’t stop talking about the Mexico team and their games. I’ve never talked about baseball at work (grocery store) and the customers adding on to how enjoyable the games are
MLB is boring, that’s why.
@@nelsongalan1417 it’s the fact that 162 games have no stakes till the end of the season when we actually know how valuable each match up is. I think instead of the pitch clock they should’ve shrunk the season to 140-150 games
@@MattGS22 There's no way on earth the owners would ever go for that. "Hey, you know how you have home games to make money? Yeah, we're going to take away about 10 of those because we want to sacrifice them to have your players whom you pay millions for, to play in an exhibition tournament". Baseball is supposed to be an every day event played at a leisurely pace, but there are things you can do to speed the game up. First, call strikes as outlined in the rule book. Second, start enforcing rules 5.01 and 8.04 where the batters can't leave the batter's box, and the pitcher has to deliver the ball in a timely manner. The pitch clock hopefully solves the latter.
@@RobotShlomo the season used to be shorter. Also a shorter season could mean healthier players and more promotions throughout the season. A shorter season has its benefits and its drawbacks
Being Australian and into baseball, I noticed that as our team did well and started getting on the news, other people were suddenly now watching the rest of the games and many those people had never watched a baseball game in their life and didn't actually know Australia had a baseball team AT ALL before then.
So who knows, this might have a knock on effect some of those will go on to watch MLB, buy merch, and indirectly build and grow the sport to people who never even thought about the game before the WBC.
Baseball is a long established but always small sport in Australia.
The way to get a wider audience is via a national team competition like the WBC (with real national teams not the No MLB player Olympics)
Not many Australians really follow soccer, but everyone seems to follow Australia at the World Cup
(Qualification rules for national teams are a joke however -see Israel and Italy)
Look it up budy. Once there was a friendly exhibition game between the USA & your country in 1956 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Over 100,000 people showed up.
@Mr. Pete Channel has reached the big time! yep, though nearly after 70 years I am sure it had lost its momentum
As a baseball fan in Taiwan, I'm always curious about the popularity of baseball in Australia. There used to be some very famous players, like David Nilsson and Jeff Williams, who played quite well in MLB and Japan. And as I know, some players from Japan, Korea and Taiwan also choose to play in Australian league for improving their skills. But judging from the size of stadium, it seems baseball doesn't have a huge fanbase there.
@@eegh In Australia baseball is a small but well-established sport -if that makes sense
The oldest Baseball clubs probably date from the 1870s.
The WBC received zero coverage in most media . The Australian fans at the grounds would have been family members or club friends of players
Most players come from baseball families (like in most minor sports )
Yesss, I'm not a baseball fan but when I see this tournament I'm 100 % into it that makes me think about spending time going to see professional baseball in my area. So it's positive
I’m from the country of Shohei Ohtani. Our Japanese fans have been crazy from 2006. The players of team Japan this year had watched 2006’s WBC and grew up to be a baseball player to represent the country. WBC is meaningful to get the skills of our baseball players higher.
Dude we almost had you! -Mexico Fan 🤘🏽😄
@@edgarponce746
It was a great game. To me, Mexico vs Japan was the best game in this WBC.
Yes, your team almost eliminated my team despite our confidence in our pitchers. What a fighting spirit Team Mexico has. Great spirit! What a great baseball!🇲🇽🤝🇯🇵
I love it. I never heard of **Randy Arozarena** before this... come to realize that he's an MVP, a World Series all-time record-setter. Dude is fun to watch.
His backstory is crazy too if you read about that also and why he plays for team Mexico.
Yes I 100% agree that the WBC is finally establishing itself as one of the greatest events in world’s sports.
Also the growth of some leagues around the world is contributing to the growing of the game.
In Colombia and Panama the popularity of the game is increasing, and it’s a huge passion in Japan and South Korea.
I think after the success of this WBC, MLB and the World Baseball and Softball Confederation should invest more money, try to get more sponsors so the metallic prizes are higher and the incentives for players to go are gonna be higher as well.
we need some growth in europe. and thats hard cause they are obsessed with soccer and are getting into basketball and thats about it .
Baseball is the most popular sport In Panama
@@waltermegson3778Pues si pero creo que se refiere que a más gente le está gustando no por qué sea el deporte más popular de esos países significa que todos los juegen puede ser que a otros le guste el fútbol, basketball etc más gente que no ve béisbol están empezando a seguir el béisbol
Because they haven’t promoted it enough in the US. I’m a huge baseball fan I didn’t even hear about the wbc until this year. How is that possible??
The US winning in 2017 was such a huge boon, getting more and more American stars like Trout and Betts getting involved. The two US-DR games and the semis between the Netherlands and Puerto and the US and Japan were as good as any classic World Series game. The atmosphere in Tokyo and Miami have been so good.
Yep, Adam Jones catch in 2017 was the most important thing to happen for the WBC classic. That play basically ensured that the US would finally give the tournament the respect it deserved and that the other countries had already been giving it. It may sound selfish but the WBC would never truly take off until the US took it seriously.
Yes! I think this is it. Consider this: Mike Trout himself declined an invite to the 2017 WBC and echoed the general US fan's consensus about it being an exhibition game. BUT immediately after it ended, he did a 180 and said he loved what he saw and wanted to be in the next WBC. And look at him now! True to his word, unlike LeBron who said something similar about the Slam Dunk Contest and feeling inspired to participate in the next one, but never did.
I still remember that catch of Adam Jones, it's when I really saw what the Classic was all about and could be
I think the host is dramatically underestimating how important this tournament is for the Latin American Countries and the teams in Asia. If you go back and look at the crowds and the viewership outside the US the numbers and popularity have always been huge. In Cuba, the DR Japan South Korea, this their Superbowl. The WBC was hosted in Canada in 2009 and I was fortunate enough to goto a few games and it was unreal.
Regarding the attendance figures, more fans attended the games during the Pools phase of the WBC (1.010 M) than during the Athletics and Marlins entire season last year (788k and 907k respectively).
Also, did some math for the fun of it. If I'm correct, given the crowd numbers of the knockout stage games so far, and estimates of the next two games given they're also sold out (total of 1.267M attendees), its likely this 2 week tournament will also surpass the Rays and Pirates cumulative seasonal attendance last year (1.128 M and 1.257 M respectively).
It's phenomenal how much this tournament has grown in popularity and given how good this year was, I can't wait for 2026.
this only because in miami the countries that played their were well represented locally. they had mexico play in the pool that played in arizona and they let taiwan play in taiwan and had japan play korea and china in the middle of tokoyo. So all of those games were going to sell out
Those attendance numbers are misleading. The A's are essentially a lame duck team. They're going to be moving to Las Vegas in the very near future. The Marlins ownership has been struggling to put a winner on the field.
It's important to really feel the size of baseball. Without the games in Taiwan and japan you wouldn't see the energy they bring and what should happen with revitalizing baseball in the US. The MLB regular season should not be the be all and end all of baseball.
The most recent Olympics in Tokyo did in fact have a baseball tournament. Japan won the Gold. USA got the silver
Great video Brodie, but I say the WBC has indeed been popular all over the baseball world prior to this tourney. It's that the public in the US has FINALLY caught on, a little late, but they FINALLY get it! WBC > Spring Training
oh my ten times over yes. Honestly I partly didnt care before because yes I was afraid key players on my Chicago Cubs squad might get hurt (like Seiya Suzuki *sigh*) but also I knew we werent bringing our best team in the past so I didnt bring my attention span if that makes sense. And even we know most of our best players come from Latin countries that will probably kick our ass anyway honestly. Its a little painful to watch everyone be so gleeful to beat America when its like......what the hell man we're the ones making you all millionaires, a lot of them were born and trained here but they sure do love to "stick it to America"........but beyond that when I dig even deeper my favorite players are scattered all over the world its really hard to pick who to root for I just want to see people do well. Was pulling hard for Matt Mervis to show out for Israel. It was very odd to me to cheer for Paul Goldschmidt hitting a home run off of Elias Diaz. Because Goldy is a damn Cardinal and Diaz is battling to try and make the Cubs roster........its just all sorts of weird conflicting interests anywhere theres a Chicago Cub I want to cheer for them.
And then really watching that game against Venezuela I realized I actually did care. Me and my roommates were getting genuinely upset watchig Daniel Bard melt down and our manager act with all the urgency of a company softball game........like no man, this shit is about to make us look bad! How could you eff this up! Why the hell is our bullpen chock full of dudes with control problems! And then Trea Turner dropped his nutsack all over everyone and we celebrated as hard as if it was a playoff game in any sport. So yes, Id say some of us actually care now.
man doesn't know that japan has the 2nd best baseball league in the world and is already a pipeline for talent to the mlb and has been playing baseball since the 1800s
Something you missed mentioning is the winter leagues in the Caribbean. The timing IS perfect. Caribbean leagues just finished days before the WBC began. Some of the mlb players were there and already in shape before spring training.
As an Australian baseball lover, I've been waiting a very long time to see the green and gold back in international competition. And I love it!
We're a proud sporting nation with World Champions in many sports, and seeing us against the best teams in the world is a beautiful thing.
Representing your country should be the pinnacle of any sport and it's about time MLB realised that.
Every argument I've seen against it has been because of those injuries. But anyone that says that honestly lacks vision. Ask cristiano ronaldo if he'd trade all his champions league trophies for one world cup with Portugal. This will become baseballs world cup and I'm glad I'm here to see the beginning of it
I've never watched the WBC before this year. Its SO good. I mean everything except that GBR - CAN game. That game almost killed my love for baseball but everything else has been magnificent.
their both trash
WBC also need to changed the player eligibility rule, it's ridiculous to see Team Israel only have 2 players who actually born in Israel and all the rest are American Jewish ethic, and letting a country like Israel where there is absolutely NO baseball tradition, Israel aren't even trying to develop their own baseball players, also Israel had never participate in any WBSC tournaments (U12,U15, U18, U23). Having country like Israel in the WBC does NOT make sense and it's absurd, No one is watching or streaming the game there.
Fair enough point....but it does create interest in the Jewish community in the US...which is good for mlb. Plus as still a minority sport worldwide they need more quality teams to make it a genuine world cup! But I see your criticism has some basis. Hopefully, some investments are being made in Israel at a ground roots level. I read somewhere that there is some playing interest in Israel.. hope that is the case. At least thay didn't progress...
Right ..more than Israel ...New Zealand..South Africa & Brazil should be in the WBC ..They Will have more Home Grown Players & Have some Baseball Foundation that can grow in those Countries than Israel....
Mexico's President is a true Baseball fan, and he's been talking about this Tournament in his press conferences. TBH, President Lopez-Obrador brought me here
Japanese fan here! I believe it's the Ohtani effect!😁逆転勝利！日本、決勝に進出！Let's gooo!
Seeing all these big names representing their country and realizing that every pitch, every play in offense, in defense is top notch worth your whole attention. I am loving it and the fact that's every 4 years is making it more exciting. I am Mexican and the wifey is Japanese so we got our jerseys and we are preparing our snacks :)
it's every 3 years but cheers!
Stoo lying nerd. No self-respecting Asian would ever settle for a Hispanic. Lol
You're just another one of those cringe weebs🤣🤣🤣
you okay dude? that was a tough one. Your team fought incredibly hard, much respect.
Wow, I bet y'all had a fun time last night! My friend is from Mexico but we have been to Japan together twice on vacation with a group of bros so we love Japan. So we got a group of guys together and watched last night. It was a blast. My buddy was cheering for both teams basically.
It is so crazy that it took American fans this long to realize that their own creation, the wbc, is the coolest thing in baseball. Welcome!
So much fun! Wish there was more rounds, more countries....do it every 2 years lets gooooo! Also it would be sweet if the Finals was a 3 or 5 game series! Maybe quarters onwards are all best of 3 with the finals being best of 5? I love the intensity of single elimination but......a big part of baseball is team depth and proving you werent just hot or cold for a day or a victim or benefactor of fluke pitching good or bad. I dunno, above my paygrade to figure out but its pretty great!
@@danr154 I actually agree with a best of 5 series format for the finals. Doesnt seem feasible now considering all the buzz around injuries but maybe one day, this event doesn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon.
@@danr154I respectfully disagree with this take. World championships in regards to teams should be kept in a 4 year rotation. Thats what makes the FIFA World Cup exciting. And even more the knockout rounds should be one game only. The WBC made a great choice adding quarter finals this year, it made for more exciting action. I would only maybe add a 24 team expansion, with 8 teams qualifying for the tournament based on zone allocation (i.e. Europe and Asia / South America and the Caribbean)
This fan still doesn't think it's "the coolest thing in baseball", and it doesn't fix the problems with the game.
I don't even care for baseball but yet i watched mostly every game of the wbc 2023
Ill give you one of the main reasons. Mexico is doing well this tournament 🇲🇽. Pulling big crowds and TV 📺 viewership way up here 🇺🇸 and in Mexico
Exactly what i said as well. I don't really watch baseball but when I saw my country doing well I tuned in.
@@omarzepedaaguilar fr! Mexico vs Puerto Rico was my first baseball match ever! And it's acually very intertaining, it even got me nervous in the last rounds!😅
I've never seen a WBC game until I heard that Mexico beat the US and saw Mexico's lineup. I only watched out of curiosity and now I'm getting ready to watch Mexico vs Japan.
@@Kaanaan last innings* and u got lucky
@@omarzepedaaguilar did you enjoy watching it. mexico was playing so well against some powerhouse teams with way less star power.
Baseball is much more popular worldwide than American football.
As a Filipino-American, I salute all the countries that participated in the WBC. The teams (countries) were great. The championship game of Japan vs USA was fantastic. Ohtani vs Trout was better than any storybook ending. Baseball wins.
The Philippines need to get back to playing baseball. They would be one of the top teams. They have the talent. It's just not being developed.
British baseball fan here - I watch some MLB games through the year, but the general feeling is that the individual games mean very little. When there's 160 in a season, the vast majority just contribute to some player stats and an average score at the end of the season. You get more dramatic ones late in the season, but the individual games for the most part are devoid of that meaning. It often seems more people care about average numbers and player salaries than memorable moments that define points in a season - So-And-So got his Xth strikeout, Such-N-Such got his third straight season with 30 HRs, Someone Else got a huge contract offer to move...
As a European, there's a complete lack of jeopardy and movement in the sport - it's the same 30 clubs every year and if you're out of it by June then frankly the rest of the season is a waste of time. No relegation, no new teams, no new locations, few hometown players, a divisional structure that has no meaning in 2023. I love the sport, but MLB itself is sorely lacking and dated in organisation. You've got cities with multiple teams who hardly play each other. You play 'rivals' some 20 times a season so who cares about a single win/loss?
Here in WBC... it's different - it's benefitting from far fewer games with far greater impact and meaning to each. The passion is because the moments themselves are memorable. Some of the games, like the Mexico v Japan one and USA v Venezuela, will stick with me more than 99% of MLB games will. You lose one game now, you're done. You win, you're heroes.
The whole idea behind the baseball season being a grind is just that, it's a grind to determine which teams are the best and not just a flash in the pan. The season also is long to give the teams that are hampered by injuries a chance to recover, and make a run down the stretch. The long seasons have actually at times created more drama. In 1978 the NY Yankees were counted out it in July, and they surged back to end the season in a tie with Boston Red Sox, forcing the historic one game playoff at Fenway Park where Bucky Dent hit a home run to bring the Yankees back to win it. In 1951 the NY Giants were trailing the Brooklyn Dodgers by 15 games at the mid point of the season, and came back to force a playoff game against Brooklyn which culminated with Bobby Thompson's "Shot Heard Round The World".
As far as the divisional structure, the divisions are built on geographic rivalries. NY vs. Boston. NY vs Philadelphia. LA vs. SF. etc. The schedule is "unbalanced" so that you play your divisional rival the most times, and it gives teams the opportunity to catch up to them during the season in head to head match ups. Interleague play was supposed to solve the problem of teams in the same city not playing each other, however it's diminished the need for you to watch a team that's not in your city.
I know as a European you're used to seeing a relegation system where teams are promoted and demoted, however in baseball that simply will not work, and all those reasons stem from one thing; money. The fans won't go for it because if you sell them tickets for an A schedule and they get a B schedule, they're going to want refunds. The advertisers and the TV networks won't go for it for the same reason. The players won't go for it because they will refuse to be traded to a team that's been relegated or in danger of being relegated, and no free agent will sign with a relegated team. And the owners won't go for it because of all of the above.
I know that as a Brit the structure of baseball might look archaic, but there's a reason why it works. It's supposed to be an every day thing that's part of the fabric of summer, and not just this thing you pay attention to every four years for a handful games.
I just went to a WBC game in Phoenix and I haven't seen or been a part of that type of atmosphere EVER at a regular season game. It's something that's unreal. Eventually it might even be more poplar than the world series in a couple of decades if the trend continues. It's sort of like the World Cup soccer, which is the biggest tournament of them all. Then the players go back to the Premier, La Liga, Primera, league. If the USA had Judge, Harper and some of our best pitchers it wouldn't be close. The issue is the pseudo playoff for pitchers regiment during spring training time. But this thing was big.
It’s already more popular than the World Series.
World Series 2022 - Average of 12 Million viewers
World Baseball Classic 2023 - Japan games alone averaging about 60 Million viewers lol
@@Luiiciano yea, I saw those stats a couple days ago.
Also, the other 39% of televisions in PR were only off because those people were watching at their friends and families houses. 100% of the PR eyes were on that game.
Super excited for the future of the WBC. The atmosphere for these games is just different it feels like do or die baseball. Especially the PR vs DR game was electric ⚡️
If players like in the Dominican team, USA, Venezuela, PR keep participating, this event is going to be bigger than the world series, maybe some people are afraid of this happening that's why they called the WBC meaningless. In my house there are three women who never watch baseball but they watched Venezuela against DR, that is the opposite of meaningless.
Personally speaking its been always popular for those who follow Baseball. This year made it even more special and accessible for me because they played in Miami. I was born in Nicaragua and although I have lived here for the entirety of my life. I went to show support to the Nicaraguan team who made its debut. and even though we've had good players in the MLB Nicaragua has never made it. It is just special to see your home country's team on an international stage and have a positive impact on the youth of your country and every other country represented and not represented.
that one young guy on the nicaraguan team who got a major league contract out of his impressive performance was cool.
Nicaragua 🇳🇮 🇳🇮 🇳🇮
One reason I think WBC is gaining popularity is because of another sport completely... and thats the FIFA World Cup. We just had it and its infectious to the point that every major sport now wants to imitate it/something passionately similar.
That is true, but other sports need to try a bit harder IMO. I know this tournament is a deal between the World baseball and softball confederation and the MLB. But one thing to advance it could be a damage to the MLB: making the national team calls mandatory. You don't know how cool it is to see the lists and say "this player should be in" or "that player should be not".
There were some advantages in the forging of association football that worked to the advantage of the World Cup. International games became systematized before the national leagues. In England, the first division (either under the EFL or as the Premier League) is 136 years old, but the first ever international friendly is 151 years old. On baseball, the process is the opposite.
The idea of association also is a lot rubbed in, that is why there is an A in FIFA. You grow your association, it become stronger. Ownership is relatively new in association football, but has been in baseball since the beginning. The rule and ideal thing for us used to it would be the model of the Green Bay Packers in the NFL.
That's why no club ever went against the World Cup. Also, FIFA made itself ready: made the national calls mandatory and imposed such harsh punishments for anyone that goes against this that it's really not worth it. And the players would not be on the club's side either.
And there is one thing needed: time. Time is an ultimate fixer.
The british nations never bought the idea of the World Cup from the get go. Did not accept the invitation for the first edition in 1930 and by their own choice never played in the qualifiers for 1934-38. They thought, especially England, that no one was better than they were since they created the thing.
When England qualified for the 1950 World Cup, they got beaten by a United States squad composed of basically italian immigrants.
There seems to be that the MLB can surrender to the pressure of the owners and talking heads someday. I hope they don't. Because when it was created in 2006 the owners voted for it, in majority (some ownership groups, like the Yankees, made an apology for their fans stating their position against it in case of players being called, injured or whatever).
The Tokyo Olympics did have baseball, but it was intended more as a one off since Japan is big on baseball. Even if the Olympics had baseball permanently, the fact the best players in the world do not participate due to it being in the middle of the MLB season will always prevent the Olympics from being the premier international baseball tournament.
If the WBC was in the Dominican Republic, trust me, they will fill a 100k+ stadium like nothing
Taiwanese fan here. Too bad we didnt make it pass the first round. But those 4 games....my oh my...so exciting!
Enjoyed the rest of the tournament. Baseball couldnt get better than that!
🇹🇼 🇹🇼 🇹🇼
Probably because patriotism is growing due to the political climate… Also the World Cup had just passed so maybe international sporting events are being craved. MLB let’s professionals mlb players compete in this event where nba international events are ass, nhl don’t allow players to compete so you never see the highest level of international play in professional sports other than soccer and mlb.
I'm french, here baseball is not popular at all, and i only started getting interest in it last year. I don't know all the rules, or the teams in mlb, or the players. But iknow Trout and Otani. So yeah they were a major asset to this tournament.
Plus, it is like the world cup right ? National teams their best. For exemple, i don't like that the mlb final is called world series, when only american teams play it. So for all us non us baseball fans, this is the real thing i guess.
Plus, what a final phase....
Not completely like the World Cup, but has the heart of it.
There are things that the WBC feels that the World Cup will not, like the cuban issue. The best MLB players for Cuba will not play in the WBC because the government will not allow them to be called. They majority defected from the country and are in many times against the government. Some players that are neutral regarding the politicians say that they will not play if the final list is marred by political influence.
An exmaple of this is Randy Arozarena. He is cuban by birth, but defected after being paid 40 dollars a month in the cuban national series (their league). He defected to Mexico, tested for teams with borrowed equipment because he was flat broke, got signed, played well and went to the MLB.
He is married to a mexican woman (and she is smoking hot) and had a daughter born there IIRC. He made a social media campaign for the mexican president to speed his citizenship process for him to play in the WBC for Mexico. Lopez Obrador (the president) made things happen.
But otherwise, it's 95% there IMO. This and the U.S. pitchers being the biggest issues.
But advancements are happening in the cuban front. This edition was the first time that Cuba called MLB players on their roster. But they need to be at least neutral regarding the government.
Never heard of this tournament, but you're absolutely right. This thing should blow up in popularity after this year. Here in the states, this IS the perfect time for this tournament. The players are having fun, but not like All Star weekend. These guys are playing hard. Love it
Yep, plus...all the guys on the team now are star players with their role nailed down in the MLB teams. They don't need a full spring training anyway, they aren't young up and coming guys who have to stake their claim. I'd much rather have a Betts and Trout play in this than pointless spring training games.
This video should have included a disclaimer at the beginning: "this only applies to US audiences". The WBC has been huge, a massive success since its very beginning in 2006, in every single baseball market, but the US.
It has to be because of the Latinos. Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. Mexico vs Puerto Rico was one of the most intense and exciting matches ever in baseball. Also the brotherly rivalry between us made it that much better.
A crazy tournament that will *finally* see the US vs Japan for the finals.😊
i love it!!! 🇺🇸 and 🇩🇴 for me,i was born in long island ny but my parents are Dominican and im proud of my heritage.USA bring that title home!!!
Yup 🇺🇸
@@projectc.j.j3310 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 baby!!!! proud to have been born here!!!!
It feels like the popularity is sudden but it's really not in regards to the rest of the world. Other countries have always taken it very seriously. In regards to America, 2017 was more popular than previous iterations, so 2023 is just building on top of it.
When it comes to teams, 20 is more than the 16 from 2017 WBC. So ya know, growth. But also, it's not like there were only 20 countries that showed up. There were qualifiers months ago so some countries tried but failed to get into the main tournament.
Is the WBC inconvenient to MLB? Perhaps you should ask the question with the knowledge that MLB runs the WBC and it'll just answer itself. The answer is no. If it was inconvenient, MLB wouldn't be running it. The WBC is not inconvenient. Injuries themselves are inconvenient. But that's no matter where or when they happen. Hell, some players get injured when they're not even on a baseball diamond. Are people saying we should just cancel real life when a player gets injured in the offseason? Of course they're not. The WBC is only viewed as inconvenient by those with tunnel vision. They only care about the MLB team they follow and that's all that matters. They don't think big picture. MLB does. That's why they're running the WBC.
The first round attendance doubled, but there were also 62.5% more games. BUT average attendance went up 25%, which is huge!
I haven't really followed baseball since the early 2000's. I don't really know today's players beyond a few of the biggest stars (like Trout and Ohtani). However, I have enjoyed watching some WBC games and highlights. Playoff atmosphere and buzz for sure. You can really tell the players have their hearts in it too. Some thrilling games, come from behind victories, surprising upset and high caliber play across the board.
The injuries are unfortunate and I certainly understand teams not wanting their best players pitching (or even playing), but it is competitive baseball at the highest level. It has been a thrill to watch and I really hope it becomes a true "world cup" for baseball.
I'm glad to hear good news for baseball
And i like the idea of WBC
I'd love to see Baseball over take Football
As the #1 sport in USA
Also since Detroit just signed a young pitcher after seeing him played in the WBC, it’s also good ground for recruitment. Big stage, huge pressure, everything on the line, it’s a good test for players.
There are more than 40 countries represented. Ever heard of qualifiers? There's no way this tournament can have 40 teams in the pool phase. Then it would be very imbalanced and take way too long.
coming from a part of the world were baseball really isn't a thing (europe) an international tournament like this is far more interesting then a season of MLB. I think this is a tournament that can spread the sport farther out in the world because national leagues struggles to do that.
Other countries dedicate more to baseball. It's like a national sport
wbc has always been relevant outside the states, this year's edition is making the USA fan base to catch up
I've enjoyed watching the WBC, but there is no convenient or legal way to pay to watch it in Australia. I hope the next WBC fixes that
Thats gonna require Aussie tv networks actually wanting to spend money for the rights. BB doesnt have the audience in Aus, but it would be awesome to see it on our TVs.
I guess I am fitting the American profile, I used to be a lot more into baseball but not as much recently. Somehow caught the buzz on the WBC and the matches and energy has been unreal. It's amazing to see the heart the players put into it also, and such a different format from the long grind of an MLB season.
I hope they keep building this because the potential is enormous.
Speaking only for my myself and the social Baseball group I spend time with. None on us have Heard of the World Baseball classic before this years tournament. And we've been fans since we were children. It comes down to marketing and social presence. I first caught wind of it because games stated appearing on my tik tok feed. From there, the MLB channel stared recommending the game highlights. I don't think my little social is alone in this. WBC just has a better online presence this year and that's how a lot more people in the USA found out about it.
The inherent problem is that "online presence" usually leads nowhere. It's easy to post to comments like "I don't follow baseball, but..."., and then nothing happening because that online audience doesn't show up, and they certainly don't spend money on anything, and most times those who claim to love something on Twitter or TikTok are just marketing accounts. The other downside of that is that most of the people saying these things online, most likely won't watch another game and for them baseball will drop off their radar. To them it will be like the Olympics "yeah, we love swimming...See you in four years!".
It’s been 🔥 since 2006. Opened my eyes how the world has a deeper passion than Americans.
I never heard about it before . I asked my dad last night while he was watching WBC "Do you ever remember watching the WBC?"......he said "No"..........And hes 70 years old and hes been watching baseball forever . For me it came out of nowhere . A British guy I know always laughed about the name "World Series" because its only played in North America . Now this should be called the true world series .
This is only the 5th tournament. Your dad being 70 and not knowing about it means nothing,
it started back in 06 this is just the 5 wbc ever,it's basically our version of the world cup in soccer,plus the fact that we have ti wait 3-6 years for it makes it even more memorable.
How can it be the “World Series” if it’s not even a series?
i mean tehcnically the best plyaers in the world are playing the us except for some in the npb and they eventually make their way over like shohei etc. it is a dumb name but its been around since the 1800s. mlb is an old institution.
I'm just here to watch Ohtani.
I think the positive aspect of it is that it also bonds players from different clubs in a healthy way. It matters if they win and the morale boost they get from it as well.
I’m so jealous of baseball in Asia, they make the games really loud and fun. They have cheerleaders!!
In Mexico, PR, Venezuela etc there are cheerleaders too and the crowd is loud too. The american fans in MLB are so serious and quiet in comparison.
It’s a baseball World Cup
It’s awesome.
Forget the Olympics
I'm a Stro's fan from Montana lol Losing Tuve is gonna suck but hopefully he's good by the ASG, but I know what he means to Venezuela and TBH I would've been disappointed if he didn't participate. Injuries can happen literally whenever lol look at when Salvy hurt his knee, he was carrying a suitcase upstairs and it blewout while moving back to KC after spring training...
George Goodwill Spalding tried in vain to popularize baseball around the world and failed. 100 years later it's finally huge globally
This is my first WBC! I love it!! I think is so much fun!
It's definitely way more global than American football.
As a guy that doesn’t watch much mlb baseball I’m shocked at how much I am enjoying the world baseball classic this year. The fans are very enthusiastic and the teams are really die hard. It’s really fun to watch. That said, I hope they figure out a system that will have it to where all of the best players play for their country
What a fucking game last night. I thought i was watching a Fifa Worldcup. Tonight is going to be a blast USA vs Japan. This kid Sasaki is throwing bullets, It's fucking amazing to watch. I'm not a big fan of baseball but damn You can't get wrong watching Guys like trout, Ohtani and Sasaki on this Tournament. Holy FUCK!. A Must Watch Game 2023!!!
Footballers play the for the world cup outside of their season. It is an HONOR to be chosen for those teams. What if, WBC becomes like the world cup is to footballers? There is no talk of injury... or risk. And I hope people get there on this.
That won't happen if players aren't able to play because they can't get insured for playing in the thing. FIFA buys insurance for every player in the World Cup. The MLB teams individually buy insurance for their players.
@RobotShlomo Perhaps. To your point, we saw that happen with Kershaw. However, a difference being the world baseball classic is run by MLB, I see more of a chance to converge insurance to cover all baseball activities within MLB. Making it less or an ordeal going forward. I mean I hope. But, yeah, insurance is a big hurdle. I didn't know how FIFA worked that out.
@@blownapart100 one major difference between the sports can be explained regarding that: there is no saying by the clubs regarding the calls for competition of friendlies on FIFA designated dates. If they say s*** or don't allow their players to go, the hammer comes down so heavy on them that it basically breaks them apart.
In association football, the international games were systematized before the national leagues. The first game between nations was 151 years ago, the First Division of England (under the EFL or as the Premier League) was created 136 years ago.
On baseball, it's the other way around.
I have always enjoyed the WBC since 2006. I could never understand why it wasn't popular. I am glad to see how it has finally gotten popular.
As a US fan living in the UK, the Classic has been a way of proving to my British friends that baseball is not just an American sport! Plus it's been great seeing fans from around the world turn out to support their teams. Honestly, no matter who was playing, I had a hard time deciding who to cheer for! I really hope it leads to wider international coverage or other leagues.
the uk team was mostly brits of people born in the bahamas technically able to play for great britain. lol.
One word: talent
The best players are actually signing up for this tournament (except for most US star pitchers)
This tournament was big before it became bigger here in the US. Patriotism outside of the US is a little different than here. There is a real desire to see your own countrymen do well against other countries. There is national pride at stake that doesn't quite fit American patriotism. We have a tendency to be indifferent to other countries and doing well in sports. So this was a HUGE deal for other countries from the start. There is a real opportunity with this tournament to broaden the baseball fans around the world.
This tournament will continue to grow and it will be huge. When you have players who say that they would rather win this than the World Series then other players take it seriously.
It’s gonna grow its name more and more every time. And will become bigger each time. Eventually kids that got into the sport in none baseball Countries will start playing and some might eventually play in it making it a more overall competitive competition.. especially in a sport like baseball where a country id have ranked anywhere from 5-6 as far as top baseball countries like Mexico could almost get to the finals beating a bunch of heavy favorites ..
Because they expanded it, and the games have been notable for their quality and fan involvement. Those games sound like football games more than they sound like baseball games, the crowds are insane. It'd be great if they expanded even further, and would implement a lottery system to determine the group stage rather than having it regional. A few kinks to work out still, but it's on its way.
MLB fans generally have a hard time divorcing the international aspect to what our league has to offer. You don't see Europeans sneering at the World Cup because they have UEFA.
Thats true but I cant help it man it felt odd cheering for Paul Goldschmidt going yard off Elias Diaz cause I am a die hard Cubs fan and Diaz is trying to make our roster. But I mean also watching Daniel Bard have a nuclear meltdown and Mark DeRosa act with the urgency of a company softball game had me genuinely pissed on behalf of America. To an Amerocan raised in baseball culture its very local to them usually. My mom used to turn guys down for dates back in the day if they were Cardinals fans. Hell I would have been named after a Cubs player but the game got rained out the day I was born so I got a normal name. Its hard for me to be nationalistic about baseball. Dont get me wrong Im watching and loving these games though. Im trying.
mlb is 100 games too long I dont want to dedicate 5 days a week for over half a year to watch a sport. It feels like a chore at that point. This tournament is like the world cup to me. Players laying all on the line to bring glory to their country. always gives the best moments in sports history
I was never really into baseball even though my grandfather loved the sport, and managed the local team back in mexico, but seeing mexico play, really made me wanna start watching some MLB seeing how hype this sport can be.
Me too bro, The Mexican team inspired the country with his game. Greetings from Mexico City.
Now would you be willing to watch regular season baseball, or are a handful of games once every four years your limit?
you can follow randy. in tampa. verdugo in boston. alek thomas in arizona. meneses in washington dc.
@@aldogalicia9330en serio? Ahora te gusta? A mí desde siempre
I hope it gets to be viewed on more outlets next time I'm a American but once I saw Isreal and Great Britain playing it peaked my interest now I'm hooked
The President of Mexico got me watching the game. Viva Mexico!
this year WBC is relevant is because of Shohei Ohtani.
I am a Zimbabwean working in south Africa and this is for the first time in my 36 hrs of living to hear people discussing about baseball at work
This is the real world series when you take a sport and make it global.
Baseball never caught on in the Olympics because the mlb season is happening during them so the top players obviously don’t go play for the country because of it
Next WBC will be Huge!!
Baseball is an interesting and entertaining sport...but the MLB has soooo many games that feel meaningless that, combined with the slower pace, make it very forgettable in a world of ever increasing choices.
Yep, they need to shorten the regular season and expand the playoffs. Even as a big baseball fan...I find many regular seasons games to be a bore....but post season/tournament style baseball is soooo intense. Every single pitch feels like it will change the game. That can't be replicated in any other sport. Having less regular season games and more playoff games means that more teams are fighting for a spot at the end of the season so we have less useless matchups against non-playoff teams for the last month of the season and we get more playoff games that are waaay more intense.
@@Bones12x2 less regular season games will mess with stats and it doesn’t do anything about the slow pace. Rob manfred had wanted to implement this pitch clock since he became elected because he knew it would make the games quicker and more exciting. The pitch clock is already doing wonders this spring training. We’re seeing 10-7 games in 2 hours and 25 minutes. That changes the game in a good way not what your proposed
@@jacksonsmith4935 who cares about stats.... You want more stats or dozens of more games that matter? Also, Im not opposesed to increasing the pace but you ever care about pace in a playoff game or wild card battle in the latter part of the season.... Nope.... Because intensity and context are more exciting than pace.
@@Bones12x2 shortening the season or making it 7 innings does nothing about the slow pace which is the main complaint of why people don’t like baseball. Also it cuts into their profits. More baseball games equals more money. It’s why mlb is the second grossing league in the world. We would have 140 games but 140 games of still slow paced 3 or 4 hour games. It doesn’t address the problem. Rob manfred wouldn’t have done this if it didn’t think it would work. Also it doesn’t matter if you care about stats. Other people do. One of the big storylines from last year was Aaron judge breaking the AL home run record. When it’s the postseason or wbc the pitch clock isn’t as needed because the games are meaningful and ínstense but nobody wants to see a 4 hour regular season game.
@@Bones12x2 The owners will never shorten the season.
I don't really like the comparison with football, worldwide baseball is FAR bigger than football, it's not even close, there is not a single professional football league outside of the US, and there are barely any international players in the NFL.
I think having the round robin games over 4 different sites helped a lot. I mean, say, South Korea - Australia. If that game were in Miami, nobody would go. But they held it in Japan, and it was well watched.
I was born in the US but lived in the Dominican Republic during the '06, '09, and '13 WBCs and have lived in the US during the '17 and '23 WBCs. What I noticed is that other countries, especially poorer countries care more about the WBC than americans do. I remember the 06 WBC wasnt very big in the DR because it was relatively new and unknown but 09 and 13 WBCs were. When the DR lost to the Netherlands twice in 09 it was seen as a national embarrassment. Alot of these countries are not like the USA where they have the resources to play multiple sports and are good at it. ALot of these countries tend to migrate to one sport and are passionate about it. USA is different where americans tend to be a top team in many sports and even dominate these sports. So poorer countries want to beat the USA in whatever they can. It's like big brother little brother in a way. DR is a country that know they have the talent to beat USA so it draws interest from the citizens of DR. Same goes for PR, Japan, etc. That's why even when the US played MExico, there were more mexican fans in the stadium than US fans. DR and PR fans sold out Miami when they played. Americans are starting to show interest in the WBC because USA is actually doing good and it's stars are actually playing. I give alot of credit to the 2017 US team for this. For the WBC to succeed Team USA (and even Team Japan) needs to bring out their best players and have top 4 finishes in most editions (it doesnt have to be all but at least make it out of pool play). I love Team Mexico but I prefer if Japan wins tonight because I know the attention will be much greater if you have the 2 countries that have the best baseball leagues competing with each other. Americans want to feel like they dominate everything and when there is a sport they dont dominate they tend to graviate away from it, which is something I feel has hurt MLB in the US. Americans fans dont just want to win, they want to win by 10 runs every game. Winning by 1 run is not satisfying to US fans.
im puerto rican but live in the us and the us doesn't want to win. They don't care as much as we do. so i was happy usa beat pr to win it all but they didn't have to crush us lol. dr is the best at baseball in the world in my opinion. they jus under performed the last 2 times thank god
@@ericayala7387 I disagree that the US doesnt want to win, I think americans dont care as much if they lose though. Im dominican so I think DR has some of the best talent, but Im hesitant to say they are the best in the world. I think alot of people underestimate Japan because alot of their stars stay in Japan to play but they have more talent than DR in my opinion. I will say DR is top 5 in best countries for baseball. Cuba and Venezuela are also very good but I think due to the political climate it's hard for MLB to make an effort to scout these countries the way they do in DR. I believe DR is the only non-US country that holds a camp for all 30 MLB teams.
@@Anon-yy6wm mlb thinks that Latinos especially the darker ones are more talented and have more athleticism than Asians or whites and are more exciting. Obviously Japan is a first world country they don’t need mlb camps unlike the Dominican Republic which is poor and wouldn’t have the resources to pursue professional baseball without mlbs guidance. Other baseball countries like cuba and Venezuela are communist countries that hate United States politically which is why mlb have very little camps there
Even with USA - Venezuela top class game, guys in reddit still say WBC is a second class/exhibition tournament, not as important as their local team games in regular season, postseason or WS.
LoanDepot Park had more attendance in few days that in the entire Marlins season.
Americans have this deeply internalized regionalism thing that don't allow them to appreciate baseball outside of their local teams and MLB. This leads to Americans undermining baseball from other latitudes.
Another thing: MLB should make things easier to watch the games. Games should be on the most popular streaming platforms.